Massimiliano Allegri praised the resilience of his AC Milan team, stating that they “wanted the result at all costs”, after their win over Como.

Despite going behind after 10 minutes, a penalty from Christopher Nkunku and a second-half brace from Adrien Rabiot earned a 3-1 away win for the Rossoneri.

Goalkeeper Mike Maignan also put in a stellar performance, making eight saves to frustrate a lively Como side.

Milan (W12 D7) are unbeaten in 19 Serie A games for the first time since January to May 2005, when Carlo Ancelotti was in charge (19 – W15 D4).

Despite coming under pressure against Como, who saw Nico Paz strike the crossbar with one of his eight attempts, Allegri believes Milan’s persistence warranted a win.

“We started playing with four midfielders in possession, trying to create more passing lines with [Youssouf] Fofana, but we lost our unity after going behind and ran quite a few risks on their through-balls and counter-attacks, so Maignan kept us alive,” Allegri told DAZN Italia.

“Once we got back on level terms against a strong Como side that plays very well, and can be dangerous, I moved to three upfront, but after we turned it around and took the lead, I returned to how we started.

“We had other chances too, and so did Como. This is a very resilient team and we wanted the result at all costs.

“We did well and were also fortunate to equalise with the penalty, but then the game changed completely after the restart.”

After five wins and four draws, Como lost a home match for the first time in Serie A this season.

They accumulated 1.78 expected goals (xG) to Milan’s 1.28, with Paz and Lucas da Cunha unable to get the better of Maignan from their chances.

Como boss Cesc Fabregas credited Milan for the win but felt his side deserved far more from the match.

“We have to work on mentality, as this is a young team. Usually I speak to the players right after the final whistle, but I couldn’t do it today,” revealed Fabregas.

“What can you say to lads who played like this and lost 3-1? It doesn’t happen often.

"Milan deserve credit for the game they played, bravo Maignan and Rabiot, sometimes you have to just tip your hat and say the individuals won it.

“We had studied Milan and knew a few areas where they could hurt us, and they did it in one of the situations we’d discussed.

"It hurts, obviously, but defeats help you to grow and we have real margin for improvement.”