The visitors thought they had got off to the perfect start inside the first minute as Santiago Giménez tapped home Théo Hernandez’s pass, only for the goal to be disallowed for offside.
Their fortunes immediately worsened, as just five minutes later, Lecce scored their first goal in five matches through Nikola Krstović, who found the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
Having avoided defeat in six of the previous seven games in which Krstović had scored this season, that opener served as a positive omen for the hosts.
In an eventful start to the first half, Milan had the ball in the net again as Matteo Gabbia turned in Hernandez’s free-kick delivery, but again, the goal was ruled out for offside.
The Rossoneri were then almost left stunned once more by Krstović, as the striker hit the post after controlling the ball in the box.
With half time approaching, Wladimiro Falcone did brilliantly to deny Giménez – one of six first-half saves the goalkeeper made to keep Lecce ahead.
After hitting the woodwork in the first half and having a goal disallowed, Giménez must have been cursing his luck when he struck the post again early in the second period after latching onto a rebound.
Yunus Musah really should have done better with a header too, as he nodded wide in a promising position.
Lo and behold, Milan would be punished for a second time due to their slack finishing, as Krstović grabbed his brace, producing another great strike from just outside the box that, to the Rossoneri’s dismay, went inside the post.
However, the visitors’ luck turned in dramatic circumstances as Antonino Gallo diverted into his own net when trying to intercept a pass.
With the deficit halved, Federico Baschirotto then made a clumsy challenge in his own area, gifting Milan an opportunity to level from the spot. Christian Pulisic stepped up and made no mistake, hitting the roof of the net to give Falcone no chance.
Unbelievably, the American then completed a dramatic turnaround for the Rossoneri, as he connected with Rafael Leão’s cross and lashed the ball home with just nine minutes left on the clock.
The visitors ultimately took home what could be a crucial three points in their pursuit of finishing in the European places. Meanwhile, despite ending their goalscoring drought, Lecce still hover anxiously above the relegation zone thanks to Milan’s third successive H2H victory.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Christian Pulisic (AC Milan)