Olivier Giroud rose to flick in a Theo Hernandez cross and give Milan a much-needed victory over Torino, their first win in all competition for over a month.
The Rossoneri had already lost twice this season to Toro, 2-1 in Serie A in October and 1-0 last month in the Coppa Italia, coming into this game off a run of disastrous results. They switched to a 3-4-3 formation with Malick Thiaw coming in and Rafael Leao returning for the club’s 3,000th Serie A match. The visitors missed Samuele Ricci, David Zima, Pietro Pellegri and Valentino Lazaro, with Ivan Ilic only fit for the bench, so 18-year-old Gvidas Gineitis got his Serie A debut.
He showed no nerves, because within three minutes he had attempted a cheeky back-heel flick inside the Milan penalty area, intercepted crucially by Alexis Saelemaekers, while Antonio Sanabria drilled inches wide from the edge of the box.
Sanabria also forced a save from Ciprian Tatarusanu, but only after a foul on his marker, while Milan felt they were denied a Michel Adopo foul on Rafael Leao as he was preparing to shoot.
Simon Kjaer ran a huge risk when he stumbled and was rescued by Tatarusanu on Sanabria, but there was the first genuine chance on 54 minutes when Olivier Giroud’s pass across for Rafael Leao was slightly deflected by Koffi Djidji, allowing Vanja Milinkovic-Savic to come flying out for the block.
Tatarusanu spilled a Wilfried Singo attempt, but Milinkovic-Savic saw Giroud’s angled drive squirm under his body and managed to scramble back to claw it off the line.
Sanabria and Mergim Vojvoda scuffed finishes wide, but Milan finally broke through when Theo Hernandez whipped in a cross from the left and Giroud got in front of Djidji for the glancing header. It was the first time in over a month that the Rossoneri had taken the lead.
Sandro Tonali risked an own goal from a corner, but Milan should’ve doubled their advantage on the counter when Pierre Kalulu rolled across past Leao and Theo Hernandez turned wide relatively undisturbed from 15 yards.
Milan 1-0 Torino
Giroud 62 (M)
Milan: Tatarusanu; Kalulu, Kjaer (Gabbia 70), Thiaw; Saelemaekers (Calabria 89), Krunic, Tonali (Pobega 89), Theo Hernandez; Brahim Diaz (De Ketelaere 79), Giroud (Origi 89), Leao
Torino: Milinkovic-Savic; Djidji (Gravillon 80), Schuurs, Buongiorno (Vojvoda 57); Singo, Adopo (Karamoh 69), Gineitis (Linetty 46), Rodriguez; Miranchuk, Vlasic (Radonjic 80); Sanabria
Ref: Ayroldi