AC Milan vs. Liverpool final score: UEFA Champions League result, highlights as Reds dominate after Pulisic strike

Dom Farrell

AC Milan vs. Liverpool final score: UEFA Champions League result, highlights as Reds dominate after Pulisic strike image

Liverpool recovered from going behind early to start their UEFA Champions League campaign with a commanding 3-1 win at AC Milan.

Still smarting from their shock weekend loss to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, the Reds ambled out of the blocks at San Siro and were punished when they allowed USMNT star Christian Pulisic to stream forward down the right channel and send an unerring low drive across Alisson into the bottom corner.

But Arne Slot's side went on to dominate proceedings, with Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk capitalizing upon set-piece frailties from Milan that were compounded by goalkeeper Mike Maignan playing with an injury from early on.

Mohamed Salah crashed against the crossbar twice and, after Maignan finally succumbed and was replaced by teenage debutant Lorenzo Torriani, Dominik Szoboszlai made the points safe in this opening league-phase encounter following fine work from the impressive Cody Gakpo.

Kostas Tsimikas supplied the corner for Van Dijk's goal and it was a moment of redemption for both as each were culpable in Milan's third-minute opener. Tsimikas, preferred to Andy Robertson at left-back by Slot, darted out to press Davide Calabria and did not get there. Van Dijk did likewise to Alvaro Morata on halfway, who tucked a pass around the corner for Pulisic to stream into the space Tsimikas vacated. He reached the area and produced a superb finish.

Salah was key to Liverpool recovering their poise and he clattered the bar with Maignan rooted after some fine footwork. Slot's men were level in the 23rd minute, Konate nodding in his first goal since the FA Cup semifinal in April 2022 against Manchester City after Calabria needlessly scythed into Gakpo and gave Trent Alexander-Arnold an irresistible angle of delivery.

Maignan contributed a handful of fine saves, including the brave stop from Diogo Jota that ultimately ended his night. But in the 41st minute, after pushing a Salah drive behind, he stayed on his line and Van Dijk rose to convert unchallenged.

Gakpo was preferred to Luis Diaz and offered a more refined threat from the left flank. The Dutchman's surging dribble created the third midway through the second half, Szoboszlai converting the return pass on the volley.

AC Milan vs. Liverpool final score

 FulltimeGoalscorers
AC Milan1Pulisic 3'
Liverpool3Konate 23', Van Dijk 41', Szoboszlai 67'

Lineups:

AC Milan (4-3-3, right to left): 16. Mike Maignan (GK) (96. Lorenzo Torriani)  — 2. Davide Calabria (22. Emerson Royal) 23. Fikayo Tomori (46. Matteo Gabbia), 31. Strahinja Pavlovic, 19. Theo Hernandez — 14. Tijjani Reijnders, 29. Youssouf Fofana, 8. Ruben Loftus-Cheek (90. Tammy Abraham) — 11. Christian Pulisic, 7. Alvaro Morata (17. Noah Okafor), 10. Rafael Leao

Liverpool (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Alisson (GK) — 66. Trent Alexander-Arnold (2. Joe Gomez), 5. Ibrahima Konate, 4. Virgil van Dijk, 21. Kostas Tsimikas — 38. Ryan Gravenberch, 10. Alexis Mac Allister (3. Wataru Endo) — 11. Mohamed Salah (14. Federico Chiesa), 8. Dominik Szoboszlai, 18. Cody Gakpo (7. Luis Diaz) — 20. Diogo Jota (9. Darwin Nunez)

WATCH: UEFA Champions League with a FREE trial of Paramount+ in USA | A new era of UEFA Champions League in Australia, only on Stan Sport

AC Milan vs. Liverpool stats

AC MilanStatLiverpool
8Shots23
2Shots on target11
0.54Expected goals (if applicable)2.77
49%Possession51%
446Passes461
2Corners5
9Fouls12
2Yellow cards2
3Offsides4

AC Milan vs. Liverpool live updates, highlights, and commentary

Fulltime

Almost a final flourish from Milan as Leao thuds one against the post via a touch from Alisson. That was comfortable for Liverpool but quietly very impressive given they headed into this game on the back of a defeat and suffered a nightmare start with Christian Pulisic struck. Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai spared Arne Slot any awkward questions and Liverpool cruised to the points in the first of their eight league phase games. Thanks for joining us.

90+4 mins: Endo's first act is to haul down Abraham. Pulisic swings the free-kick into the box but it comes to nought.

90 mins: Tsimikas wellies a pretty dreadful shot well wide from distance. We'll have six additional minutes, during which time Federico Chiesa will make his Liverpool debut. He's coming on with Wataru Endo.

85 mins: Hernandez whistles a shot just past the right-hand post from outside the box. Alisson looked to have it covered but Liverpool have let a little sloppiness creep into their play over the past few minutes and that's a warning.

81 mins: A chap with a loud-hailer is trying to rouse the Curva Sud as Milan try one last push. This fixture does have a history of dramatic turnarounds, in fairness...

77 mins: Milan are leaving plenty of room for Liverpool to break now. Nunez goes this one along when he had options in the middle but wins a corner.

73 mins: Leao has been on the margins of this contest but he burns past Konate here. Gravenberch gets back to avert the danger.

69 mins: That was the last action for Gakpo as he and Jota make way for Diaz and Nunez. A double change for Milan also, with Emerson and Abraham on for Calabria and Loftus-Cheek.

67 minsGOOOOOAAAAALLLLLL!!!!! Dominik Szoboszlai!!!!

Szoboszlai sends Gakpo away. The Netherlands forward makes light work of Pavlovic and then drives a ball into the goalmouth where Szoboszlai has continued his run finish.

59 mins: Morata goes down in a heap under a challenge from Gakpo. He wants a penalty, the Liverpool players are not impressed. The upshot is Morata being penalised for handball because he tumbled onto the ball. Milan coach Fonseca is unimpressed to the degree that he gets a yellow card. In all honesty, that would have been a very soft penalty.

57 mins: Szoboszlai hits one on the turn on the edge of the Milan area. It gives young Torriani a nice routine save to get himself into the game.

53 mins: Mac Allister with a needless late shove into the back of Fofana. He's booked.

51 mins: Maignan pulls his shirt over his head as he departs. He's distraught. On comes Italy U20 goalkeeper Lorenzo Torriani.

47 mins: Oh dear. That surely has to be it for Maignan, who throws himself at Jota's feet to make a vital save and then pounds the turf in agony.

Kickoff: 2nd Half

Back underway. Maignan is still with us. What a trooper.

Halftime

After their weekend setback, Liverpool endured an utterly dreadful start as Christian Pulisic sent San Siro into raptures. It took Arne Slot's men a while to settle but once they did they dominated. Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk made the most of flimsy set-piece defending from Milan that was compromised by goalkeeper Mike Maignan seemingly carrying an injury. Mohamed Salah has been majestic, hitting the crossbar twice.

45+4 mins: Maignan gets above the crowd this time to punch Tsimikas' in-swinger clear.

45+3 mins: The Alexander-Arnold to Gakpo switch again. This time Gakpo gets of a well-struck shot that Maignan pushes behind. Corner. Uh oh...

45 mins: There will be five minutes Maignan time. Or stoppage time, if you prefer.

44 mins: Tsimikas holds his ground in the box, Pulisic takes a tumble and wants a penalty. Nope.

41 minsGOOOOOAAALLLLLLLLL!!! Virgil van Dik

Maignan stays on his line as Tsimikas plonks an in-swinging corner into the six-yard box. Van Dijk gets up amid a cluster of red and black shirts and heads home with ease.

40 mins: A slack pass from Leao lets Liverpool break. Jota picks up the pieces from Jota and feeds Salah. The superstar forward cuts inside and Maignan gets down to tip around the post. He grimaces.

39 mins: Gakpo decides to see how Maignan's doing and unleashes a low bouncing shot from 30 yards. The Milan goalkeeper gathers.

37 mins: Maignan appears to be in more disarray now. Milan only have a pair of teenage goalkeepers on the bench. It looks like he's going to try to and nurse himself through to halftime.

32 mins: This looks too far out to shoot. Alexander-Arnold doesn't agree but duffs a tame attempt that's blocked.

31 mins: Fofana pulls back the marauding Salah and is the next Milan player into the book. Having led early, it feels like the hosts are in a bit of deep water.

30 minsSalah hits the bar again! Gakpo into the right-hand side of the Milan box. Calabria had to pull out of a challenge that would have risked another yellow. Maignan beats away his angled shot, Salah clips the rebound against the underside of the crossbar. He can't get much closer.

26 mins: Mac Allister goes shuffling through the midfield. Milan's heads have not cleared from the equaliser. The Argentina international feeds Jota, who you'd expect to do much better than shooting into the side-netting from there!

23 minsGOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!! Ibrahima Konate!!!!

Alexander-Arnold hangs up a lovely ball into the goalmouth, Maignan tries to get there, Konate does. Calabria has some apologising to do.

22 mins: Alexander-Arnold launches a raking pass over to Gakpo on the left and the Dutchman is scythed down by Calabria. That was stupid. Obvious yellow card and a free-kick in a dangerous position for Liverpool. Alexander-Arnold has hold of the ball...

17 minsSalah hits the crossbar! Lovely quick feet from the Egyptian king, who shifts the ball onto his weaker right foot and rattles Maignan's furniture. From the loose ball, Tsimikas look to make amends for his role in the opener and wallops high and wide.

11 mins: Maignan takes a short goalkick and then chips his eventual pass out of play. Let's see how he progresses. Ah, the Frenchman claims a cross with ease there. Encouraging signs.

6 mins: Something to temper Milan's enthusiasm: we're still waiting to restart as goalkeeper Mike Maignan receives treatment for what looks like a groin issue. He's going to try to continue.

3 minsGOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL!!!!! Christian Pulisic

Flying start for Milan as Liverpool fail to heed the warning from a moment ago. Morata lays one off around the corner and Pulisic is allowed to hare forward down the inside right channel. Where are the Liverpool defence? The USMNT star doesn't care as he goes it along and crashes home an unerring low finish across Alisson.

2 mins: Hernandez gets in behind Liverpool and forces Van Dijk to hack out of the goalmouth but the flag confirms he's offside

Kickoff: 1st half

Off we go. Liverpool attacking towards the travelling supporters way up in the third tier behind the goal an attempted cross-field pass to Gakpo operating off the left is overhit.

2 mins before kickoff: Milan fans, making up the bulk of a 60,000-strong crowd, roar out the crescendo of the Champions League's famous anthem. We're ready to go.

6 mins before kickoff: The players are in the tunnel and one of the great European football arenas is ready. This should be fun.

20 mins before kickoff: This new format also means more early games. Andre Onana has just fired Aston Villa into a 3-0 lead away to Young Boys. It's been a dominant performance from Unai Emery's men, who've also had a couple of goals ruled out by VAR. Juventus are also about to conclude a 3-0 home win over PSV, with USMNT midfielder Weston McKennie among the goalscorers.

40 mins before kickoff: Although one of the desired effects of the league phase is to theoretically have more riding on each game, fans of AC Milan and Liverpool could not be used to high stakes in their surprisingly brief shared history. Each of the clubs' first two meetings came in Champions League finals as Liverpool prevailed in unforgettable fashion in Istanbul in 2005 before Milan gained revenge in Athens two years later.

MORE: Liverpool vs. AC Milan head to head, history, record in all UEFA Champions League past meetings

1 hour before kickoff: Alvaro Morata gets the nod ahead of Tammy Abraham to lead the Milan attack. No matter, with Fikayo Tomori, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Christian Pulisic that's still four ex-Chelsea players in the Rossoneri starting 11.

1 hr 10 mins before kickoff: Arne Slot makes two changes to the Liverpool side that was beaten 1-0 by Nottingham Forest at the weekend. Kostas Tsimikas and Cody Gakpo come in for Andy Robertson and Luis Diaz. Federico Chiesa is among the substitutes.

1 hr 30 mins before kickoff: How you follow the game in the privacy of your own home is, of course entirely up to you (stick the the SN live blog, you know it makes sense). Daniel Sturridge would like those of you of a Liverpool persuasion to belt out "You'll Never Walk Alone" in your living rooms. Again, entirely up to you.

2 hours before kickoff: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of AC Milan vs. Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League. These two European giants clash at the start of new eras under Paolo Fonseca and Arne Slot, with plenty of intriguing questions to answer.

AC Milan vs. Liverpool kick off time

This UEFA Champions League match kicks off at San Siro, Milan, at 9 p.m. local time.

Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories:

 DateKickoff time
USATues, Sep. 173:00 p.m. ET
CanadaTues, Sep. 173:00 p.m. ET
UKTues, Sep. 178:00 p.m. BST
AustraliaWeds, Sep. 185:00 a.m. AEDT
IndiaWeds, Sep. 1812:30 a.m. IST

AC Milan vs. Liverpool lineups, team news

Fonseca sticks with the majority of the team that put four past Venezia last weekend. That mean USMNT star Christian Pulisic starts in attack alongside Rafael LeaoAlvaro Morata is still working his way back to full fitness from a muscle problem but is selected ahead of Tammy Abraham.

Fikayo Tomori comes in for Matteo Gabbia at centre-back, while Davide Calabria is back to fitness and gets the nod over Emerson Royal at right-back.

Ismael Bennacer is facing several weeks out with a calf problem sustained in the international break, but Tijjani Reijnders has found form in midfield of late and will hope to continue that this week.

AC Milan (4-3-3, right to left): Maignan (GK) — Calabria, Tomori, Pavlovic, Hernandez — Reijnders, Fofana, Loftus-Cheek — Pulisic, Morata, Leao

Injured: Ismael Bennacer, Alessandro Florenzi, Marco Sportiello, Malick Thiaw
Suspended: None
Ineligible: Luka Jovic

Slot made two changes after the shock defeat to Forest. Cody Gakpo starts on the left wing in place of Luis Diaz, although Darwin Nunez and new signing Federico Chiesa have to be content with spots on the bench.

Kostas Tsimikas replaces Andy Robertson at left-back but the midfield trio of  Ryan GravenberchAlexis Mac Allister or Dominik Szoboszlai remains unchanged

Liverpool predicted XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Alisson (GK) — Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson — Gravenberch, Mac Allister — Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo — Nunez

Injured: Harvey Elliott
Suspended: None

AC Milan vs. Liverpool live stream, TV channel

Here is how to watch the match in some of the world's major regions:

United States:

  • TV channel: TUDN USA, UniMas
    Live stream: Paramount+Fubo, ViX, TUDN.com, Univision Now, TUDN App

This game is available on TUDN USA for live TV broadcast. Spanish-speaking viewers can catch the game on UniMas. Streaming options are available on Paramount+Fubo, TUDN.com, TUDN App, ViX, and Univision Now. 

For a limited time, new subscribers can enjoy Paramount+ starting at $2.50 per month for 12 months! Billed annually. Stream the NFL on CBS, Champions League soccer and more. Redeem now!

Fans can stream the game live online with Fubo, which is offering a seven-day FREE trial to new subscribers. 

Canada:

  • TV channel:
    Live stream: DAZN

This game is unfortunately not available for live TV broadcast for viewers in Canada. Streaming options are available on DAZN.

Australia:

TV channel: 
Live stream: Stan Sport

In Australia, the Champions League clash between Liverpool and AC Milan will be available to watch and stream live exclusively on Stan Sport. Coverage starts at 4:55 a.m. AEST.

Australian viewers can catch all 189 Champions League matches on Stan Sport this season. Additionally, they can also catch all UEFA Europa League games and UEFA Conference League fixtures on the platform.

If Liverpool vs. AC Milan is not available to watch live in your location or if you’re traveling abroad, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs offer a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favorite streaming services from any device anywhere in the world.

India:

  • TV channel: SONY TEN 1, SONY TEN 1HD
  • Live stream: Sony LIV, Jio TV

Champions League matches for the 2024/25 season will largely be shown on Jio TV and Sony LIV in India. 

Song LIV originally acquired the streaming rights for the UEFA Champions League in 2017, extended the right to broadcast the tournament till the end of 2026 to 2027 this year.

Every single Champions League match of the 2024/25 competition will be streamed on Sony LIV, and the televised events can also be found on JioTV.

UK:

  • TV channel: 
  • Live stream: Amazon Prime Video

Champions League matches for the 2024/25 season will largely be shown on TNT Sports and  discovery+ in UK. However, AC Milan vs. Liverpool is the first of eight select Tuesday matches to be shown by streaming giant Amazon Prime Video

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Dom Farrell

Dom Farrell Photo

Dom is the senior content producer for Sporting News UK. He previously worked as fan brands editor for Manchester City at Reach Plc. Prior to that, he built more than a decade of experience in the sports journalism industry, primarily for the Stats Perform and Press Association news agencies. Dom has covered major football events on location, including the entirety of Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup in Paris and St Petersburg respectively, along with numerous high-profile Premier League, Champions League and England international matches. Cricket and boxing are his other major sporting passions and he has covered the likes of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko, Gennadiy Golovkin and Vasyl Lomachenko live from ringside.