Fikayo Tomori joked he does not purposely reserve all of his goals for Milan's clashes with Juventus after netting again in the famous fixture to help his side to a 2-0 win.
The England international opened the scoring from a few yards out in Saturday's Serie A contest after inadvertently blocking a goal-bound Olivier Giroud volley.
That was Tomori's second league goal for Milan, with the other coming in a 3-0 victory for the Rossoneri against the same opposition in May 2021.
Among players to have scored 100 per cent of their Serie A goals against Juve, Tomori is one of three to have scored more than once, alongside Luigi Carello and Francesco Duzioni.
Brahim Diaz added a second goal for Milan with a superb solo effort that started inside his own half, and Tomori says picking up all three points means more than his own rare strike.
Asked about his record against Juve, Tomori told DAZN: "It's not on purpose! Every game against Juve is important. I'm happy to score, but the most important thing is getting the three points.
"I was a little fortunate with the goal, but I'm happy with it, the clean sheet and the victory. We had a bit more determination and will try to win on Tuesday [against Chelsea]."
Tomori is one of three English players to have scored more than one goal against Juventus in Serie A, the others being Gerald Hitchens (three) and Tammy Abraham (two).
Juve were unhappy the opener stood due to what they felt was a foul by Theo Hernandez on Juan Cuadrado in the build-up to the corner that led to the goal, but VAR could not intervene as it was a separate phase of play.
Diaz's strike early in the second half ensured a straightforward victory for Milan, who join Napoli and Atalanta – both of whom are in action on Sunday – at the top of Serie A on 20 points.
Saturday's victory marked a return to winning ways for Milan on the back of a 3-0 loss at Chelsea in Wednesday's Champions League meeting, but Stefano Pioli's side have a chance for revenge when they reconvene at San Siro next week.
"Today's match was very intense," Pioli said. "We made too many misplaced passes in the opening 20 minutes.
"We worked as a team today, whereas unfortunately we lost our shape in London and got too intimidated by our own mistakes and the strength of the opponent. We know that if we work together, we can get positive results.
"The reason we didn't do well in London is because we were not aggressive enough and we made too many unforced errors without needing Chelsea to be aggressive in their press against us.
"This was a very important game in Serie A, as it always is between Milan and Juventus, so we had the right attitude from the start."
Massimiliano Allegri taking nothing for granted at resurgent strugglers Cagliari
Cagliari’s record at home means Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri is not taking the trip to the Sardinian capital lightly.
Juventus are well positioned to secure Champions League qualification for next season, while Cagliari are just four points above the drop zone ahead of Thursday’s contest at the Unipol Domus.
The Bianconeri next take on Lazio in the Coppa Italia semi-final on Tuesday, holding a 2-0 lead from the first leg.
But Allegri is wary of Claudio Ranieri’s Cagliari, who scored twice in the last quarter of an hour to secure a 2-2 draw at runaway league leaders Inter Milan last time out.
“Of their eight wins this season, six have come at home and 23 of the 31 points they’ve got have been picked up at home,” Allegri told a press conference.
“They’re a team who score a lot of goals in the last 15 minutes of games and particularly with players who come off the bench, they have scored more goals with substitutes than anybody else.
“We know it will be a tough game, so our very best version will have to show up. We won’t be rotating ahead of the Italian Cup, the most important game is Cagliari, then we’ll focus on the cup.
“It would be a mistake to not focus on Cagliari, and a win in Sardinia would allow us to take a big step towards our goals.”
Juventus still have clashes against top-four rivals AC Milan, Roma and Bologna ahead of them in the next few weeks.
“It’s important to stay focused on the next month or so,” Allegri added. “We have a lot of difficult games to come. A win at this stage is almost worth double.”
Cagliari have lost just once in their last eight matches to ease relegation fears and twice hit back from a goal down to claim a surprise point at Inter Milan on Sunday.
“I told the guys that they are doing well, but we have new pitfalls ahead of us,” Ranieri told a press conference.
“The team is focused, we have to keep the right balance. We have to keep pushing without fear, the salvation fight is very tight. There are no foregone conclusions, you go out there and fight.”
Daniele De Rossi staying on as Roma boss
Roma have confirmed that head coach Daniele De Rossi will remain in charge of the club for “the foreseeable future”.
De Rossi, 40, who spent 18 years as a player with the Giallorossi, was appointed in January after the sacking of Jose Mourinho.
Roma have climbed from ninth to fifth in Serie A under the 40-year-old, who initially signed a short-term deal until June.
In a statement on the club’s website, Roma owners Dan and Ryan Friedkin said: “After meeting yesterday afternoon with Daniele De Rossi, we are delighted to announce he will continue as head coach of AS Roma after this season and for the foreseeable future.
“In his short tenure as head coach, the positive impact that his leadership has brought to the entire club has told its own story.
“Daniele leads with respect and courage, while his strength and deep-rooted belief in the club are truly aligned with Roma’s values, city and unparalleled fans.
“We will continue to work together as hard as we possibly can to deliver a future that AS Roma’s fans deserve.
“We couldn’t be happier to build a long-term project with Daniele.
“Further details to follow in the coming days.”
Barcelona fined for racist behaviour of fans at Paris St Germain
Barcelona have been fined 25,000 euros (£21,400) by UEFA for racist behaviour by their fans during the Champions League quarter-final first-leg tie at Paris St Germain.
Three charges were brought against Barca following the fixture at Parc des Princes on April 10, which included acts of damage and lighting of fireworks.
UEFA’s Appeals Body announced on Thursday Barcelona will be fined for the racist behaviour of their fans and will be banned from selling tickets to their away supporters for the Spanish club’s next UEFA competition match.
That ticket ban has been suspended for a probationary period of one year, which started from the date of the present decision.
Barcelona must also pay a 2,000 euro fine for lighting fireworks and a further 5,000 euro fine for acts of damage.
After Barca won the first leg 3-2 in Paris, they lost 4-1 in the second leg at home this week to exit the Champions League 6-4 on aggregate.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
