Tomori praises Milan’s double clean sheet against Inter: ‘It’s not easy’

Fikayo Tomori says that Milan’s improved defensive solidity is the key behind their upturn in league form this season, and notes that ‘to play two games against Inter and not concede a goal isn’t easy’.

Tomori was among the starters for Milan’s 1-0 victory over their city rivals Inter in the Derby della Madonnina in Serie A on Sunday evening. 

The Rossoneri have now won five of their last seven encounters against the Nerazzurri and are also unbeaten against them over that period. Sunday’s victory was also the second consecutive time that Massimiliano Allegri’s side have kept a clean sheet against Cristian Chivu’s side. 

• Read more: Milan 1-0 Inter: Player ratings

Tomori reacts to Milan 1-0 Inter: ‘To play two games against Inter and not concede a goal, it’s not easy’

The Rossoneri now find themselves seven points behind the table-topping Nerazzurri, and seem to be the only side capable of applying any real pressure on Cristian Chivu’s side heading into the final 10 games of the Serie A season. 

Many of Milan’s players were asked after full-time against Inter whether they feel they are capable of closing down the seven-point gap between themselves and the Nerazzurri. 

“Who knows,” said Tomori in a post-match interview with CBS Sports. 

“I think at this point in time we just have to focus on ourselves. Obviously tonight was an important game, happy to have won. A good performance against a very, very good team. 

“The derby is always a special game and always a difficult game. We’re just focussed on winning, happy to have done that. Now we just have to go onto the next game, rest and recover, enjoy tonight. Just focus on ourselves like I said, keep going and try to finish the season as strongly as possible.” 

Tomori was asked where the Milan players would be celebrating following their victory, to which he jokingly replied: “I’m not sure. I don’t want the Mister to hear me, so I just have to stay quiet!” 

Tomori insists that Milan needed no additional motivation heading into the Inter match, and feels that his side could have easily had another couple of goals to their name before the interval. 

“I think in these kinds of games the Mister doesn’t really have to say too much because it’s a derby, you know how important it is for the club, for ourselves, for the fans, everyone. 

“The way that we approached the game in the first half, we put them under pressure, we had chances to score. Obviously we did score in the first half, but we had a lot of really dangerous opportunities and probably could have scored more. 

“At the end of the day and especially at this stage of the season, three points is all that really matters, so yeah, we’re really happy.” 

Tomori agrees that playing on the right-hand side of Massimiliano Allegri’s back three is helping to get the best out of him this season. 

“Yeah, I think so. I think I can show the different qualities that I have,” he said. “Obviously my first job is to defend, so try to do that, try to do my job first, but I think in games like today where there’s a bit of space, I can affect the game going forwards.” 

Milan are in second place in Serie A with 10 games left to go. They look set to secure Allegri’s goal of Champions League qualification, and despite being seven points shy of the league leaders, this is a vast improvement on the form that saw them finish ninth last season. 

Tomori believes that Milan’s defensive security has been the secret behind their improvement this season. 

“One of the main objectives for us was to concede less goals and I think this season we’ve been a lot more solid defensively, not just the defenders, but the whole team as a unit. 

“We’ve worked a lot and worked a lot on trying to stay compact as a team. To play two games against Inter and not concede a goal, it’s not easy. I think that’s testament to how well we’ve been working and the work that the coaching staff has been doing with us this season.” 

“To play two games against Inter and not concede a goal… It’s not easy”@fikayotomori_ caught up with @Bonetti after Milan’s derby win pic.twitter.com/uGYN6lMWkd

— CBS Sports Golazo (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 8, 2026