Milan’s clash with city rivals Inter on Saturday night had been billed in Italy as the ‘Halloween derby.’ In the end, it was a familiar face who haunted the Nerazzurri.

Christian Pulisic scored his fourth goal in this historic fixture to break the deadlock in front of a stuffed San Siro. The crowd—the largest this match has seen in more than half a decade—should not have been entirely surprised; Lecce are the only Italian club to have conceded more goals at the hands of Milan’s U.S. star than Inter.

Propelled by Pulisic’s deft header after just four minutes, Milan doubled their lead with the clock still in single digits. Diego Moreira’s crisp free kick would cancel out Alessandro Bastoni’s stooping effort to ensure the Rossoneri ran out 3–1 winners on a night that would always be of great importance to Pulisic.

Beyond the sanctity of one of European soccer’s grandest occasions, Saturday’s derby stood out as the first match since Pulisic had committed his long-term future to the club.

While he claimed to be unburdened by the weight of that lucrative contract, the divisive USMNT forward still reveled in the occasion. “It does feel really good,” he beamed to CBS Sports post-match.

Pulisic’s Record Against Inter

• Games: 10
• Wins: 6
• Draws: 2
• Losses: 2
• Goals scored: 4
• Assists: 0

“What this club has given me—from top to bottom—honestly, the trust and just the confidence they’ve given me, to repay these fans on a day like today...” he wistfully added, trailing off with a charming sense of reverence.

“I love playing in the biggest games and the atmosphere was incredible today, to get another win is always special,” Pulisic continued. “There was a really intense concentration going into the locker room, you could feel it. I always feel it in these games. I had a great feeling going into today. I think everyone did.”

The affection between Pulisic and Milan is emphatically mutual. The club’s U.S. owner Gerry Cardinale was effusive in his praise for his compatriot. “He is ‘Captain America,’ but he is also my franchise player,” Cardinale gushed. “I couldn’t be more thrilled to have him with us. He’s a leader, and his presence on the pitch makes all the difference in the world. You’ve seen it this year: when he steps onto the field, he completely changes the game.”

‘I Owe It to Them’—Pulisic’s Vow for the Future

For all the euphoria of Saturday’s victory, Pulisic was not content with his status as a player for the big moments. The 28-year-old wants to be a player for every moment.

“I want to give them so much more because they really restarted my career and helped me in so many ways,” the mercurial forward insisted. “I owe it to them.”

Milan as a team reflect Pulisic’s individual lack of consistency. The versatile winger came off the bench to change the game against a rampant Lazio in September before his derby heroics, but has drawn blanks in mid-table clashes with the likes of Sassuolo, Atalanta and Bologna. Milan, by the same token, are now unbeaten in their last eight clashes with Inter, yet they haven’t finished above their neighbors in Serie A for the last four years.

When quizzed on how he and the team could address that consistent inconsistency, Pulisic offered: “Watch video, rest and recover. Find the good things that we did and just continue to find the things that we can improve on. And I think we need to switch on that intensity every single moment that we step on the pitch. I think that’s all it is.

“I think we’ve shown today that we have it in us to win in big games, so for us it’s about managing the games as best we can. Obviously it’s tough with so many games but we’re going to do our best.”