AC Milan finally managed to end their winless run after seven games in Serie A with a narrow win over Torino at the San Siro.
Olivier Giroud scored the only goal of the game in the second half to ease pressure on the manager Stefano Pioli.
Milan, who last won a game over a month ago when the league resumed following the World Cup break, moved provisionally up to third from sixth in the standings on 41 points from 22 games.
Torino dominates AC Milan in the first half:
It was the visitors who took the early initiative against their unsure hosts in the opening stages of the game.
Milan were lucky not to go a goal down in the 18th minute when Antonio Sanabria’s snapshot went just wide of the goalposts. The striker had another chance three minutes later only for Ciprian Tatarusanu to deny him this time before a foul was called for in the buildup.
Milan recovers in the second half:
Pioli’s halftime team talk worked magic as the hosts improved significantly following the break.
Rafael Leao tested Vanja Milinkovic-Savic in the 54th minute with a stinging shot but the goalkeeper was up to the task to keep the scores level.
Giroud finally found the coveted opener in the 62nd minute when he headed Theo Hernandez’s pass into the net. With the comfort of a goal behind them, Milan searched for their second but were happy to have three points in the pocket.
Milan next faces Tottenham in the Champions League on February 15th before taking on Cremonese in Serie A.
