AC Milan secured a 3-0 victory against Serie A strugglers Empoli at the Stadio Carlo Castellani. Teenager Chaka Traore, scoring his second goal in six days, sealed the win for Milan in the 88th minute after coming off the bench.
The young Ivorian winger had previously opened his Milan account in a 4-1 Coppa Italia win over Cagliari. The victory included Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s 11th-minute opener and an Olivier Giroud penalty just past the half-hour mark.
Milan’s triumph, their third win in four league games, narrowed the gap to second-placed Juventus to four points. This outcome followed Empoli’s winless streak extending to seven league matches, keeping them second-bottom in the standings.
As the visitors aimed for an early breakthrough, Empoli’s Tijjani Reijnders and Davide Calabria of Milan created early chances, but the finishing touch was missing.
The opening goal came when Rafael Leao set up Loftus-Cheek to slot the ball past Empoli’s goalkeeper, Elia Caprile. Moments later, a VAR check awarded Milan a penalty after Youssef Maleh’s handball, with Giroud converting it off the crossbar.
Empoli suffered an early substitution due to injury, with Tyronne Ebuehi replaced by Filippo Ranocchia.
Despite Empoli’s attempts to respond, Milan maintained control. Loftus-Cheek, Pulisic, and Leao threatened, while Empoli’s Cambiaghi missed opportunities. Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan made crucial saves, and the victory was sealed on the counter-attack, with Pulisic setting up Traore for a composed finish into the bottom corner.
