Two years after the Club's foundation, Herbert Kilpin's Rossoneri experienced their first-ever triumphant season in a long and glorious history. It was 1901 and the game was at the dawn of its development, with fans watching on from the touchlines and goals without nets. The squad was made up of 13 players: five Italians and six Brits. Four teams were involved in the league season, organised by the FIF (Italian Football Federation): Genoa, who, as reigning champions, had guaranteed direct access to the Final, AC Milan, Juventus and Ginnastica Torino. We must also add Mediolanum to these, who were beaten 2-0 in the elimination round, in what is considered to be the first Milan derby in history, even if for some historians it was a friendly match. In any case, in April, the Rossoneri took to the pitch for a semi-final showdown against Juventus, who had previously recorded a 5-0 win over their city rivals in an all-Piedmont qualifying round tie. In Turin, the Rossoneri lineup fell behind twice but didn't give up and fought back to win 2-3. Player-Coach, Herbert Kilpin, scored the winning goal to back up Ettore Negretti's brace. Genoa v AC Milan, the Scudetto Final, was played in May 1901, with the Grifone favourites going into the game. But the Rossoneri dominated and comfortably won 3-0 in Genoa, decided by an own goal and strikes from Kilpin and Negretti. Celebrations began: the Rossoneri were Italian Champions for the first time. And that's not all, because AC Milan also won the King's Medal Cup for the second consecutive season.
