Having registered a comfortable opening-day victory over Bologna last time out, Stefano Piolo’s new-look side started with something of a swagger against Torino.
Olivier Giroud and Theo Hernandez threatened an early breakthrough with a pair of clever efforts, while Tijjani Reijnders quickly assumed control of the midfield battle as the Rossoneri stamped their authority on a one-sided opening half-hour.
Armed with all the momentum, the hosts finally made their pressure count in the 33rd minute when former Chelsea teammates Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Christian Pulisic combined in devastating fashion, with the former setting up the latter for a simple finish inside the six-yard box.
Undeterred by that opener, the under-fire visitors responded with a shock leveller just three minutes later as Perr Shuurs swivelled in the box and fired a sublime first-time effort into the bottom corner.
In a topsy-turvy end to the first half, the hosts regained the lead in controversial fashion, with VAR spotting an innocuous handball in the box, allowing Giroud to step up and rifle home the resulting spot-kick.
To add insult to injury, Milan netted a third just moments later as Hernandez raced onto a clever through-ball from Rafael Leao, before lifting a delicate finish over Vanja Milinkovic-Savic to give the hosts a comfortable two-goal cushion at the interval.
The early stages of the second half were played at a considerably slower pace, with Milan more than happy to dominate possession and keep Torino at arm’s length.
As a result, clear-cut chances came at a premium, although a clumsy foul from Schuurs gave Giroud the opportunity to net his second of the evening from the spot.
The Frenchman duly obliged as the hosts coasted through the final 20 minutes to secure a victory in their opening home match of the season for the 11th consecutive campaign.
As for the visitors, they’ll be hoping to bounce back next weekend against Genoa after a first away defeat in seven matches.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Theo Hernandez (AC Milan)
