Soccer Football - Serie A - AC Milan v Frosinone - San Siro, Milan, Italy - December 2, 2023 AC Milan's Luka Jovic scores their first goal REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo
MILAN (Reuters) -Striker Luka Jovic scored a goal and claimed an assist as AC Milan secured a comfortable 3-1 win over mid-table Frosinone at the San Siro on Saturday, a second straight victory to get them back on track in Serie A.
Jovic and midfielder Christian Pulisic scored either side of halftime before Fikayo Tomori netted the third for Milan and Frosinone midfielder Marco Brescianini pulled one back for the visitors from a free kick eight minutes from time.
Milan, who went four league matches without a win before beating Fiorentina last week, are third in the standings on 29 points, four behind leaders Juventus and three adrift of second-placed Inter Milan, who travel to Napoli -- in fourth with 24 points -- on Sunday.
"We hadn't won two games in a row in the league for two months," coach Stefano Pioli told DAZN.
"We must have more continuity, it was not an easy game and I consider the team's performance very positive."
Pioli's men, who were beaten 3-1 by Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday, were still without the injured striker Rafael Leao, among other absences.
A largely uneventful first half, during which Frosinone often looked the more threatening side, livened up right at the end when Jovic gave Milan the lead two minutes before the break with a volley from inside the box.
It was the Serbia international's first goal for Milan in nine league games since joining in September from Fiorentina.
"I try to encourage him every day," Pioli said. "He has important technical, tactical and physical capabilities. He must demand more from himself... I hope this performance gives him confidence, he can give us important offensive solutions.
"He is a complete centre forward, with perhaps different characteristics from Olivier (Giroud)."
Pulisic doubled the advantage in the 50th minute after latching onto a long pass from goalkeeper Mike Maignan to send the ball into a top corner.
The Milan keeper has provided at least one assist in each of the last three Serie A seasons.
Jovic set up Tomori for the third with a header across the face of the goal as the defender bundled the ball past helpless Frosinone keeper Stefano Turati in the 74th minute.
Frosinone, 11th in the table, have picked up 18 points from their first 14 matches this season, a tally they had not previously achieved before the 23rd matchday in Serie A.
Earlier on Saturday Lazio moved up to ninth on 20 points after edging lowly Cagliari 1-0 at home through an early goal by winger Pedro, before the visitors were reduced to 10 men in the 27th minute.
(Reporting by Anita Kobylinska in Gdansk, editing by Ed Osmond and Toby Davis)
