It was a somewhat pedestrian start to the first half from both teams, to say the least, with only one shot attempted inside the opening 30 minutes of the game.
Surprisingly, though, it was the relegation-threatened hosts who almost went ahead on the half-hour mark, as only a vital block from Mike Maignan prevented Filip Stojilkovic from edging Pisa in front.
That opportunity appeared to wake up the title challengers, and they duly took the lead after 39 minutes played, when an unmarked Ruben Loftus-Cheek headed home a superb delivery from the right flank by Zachary Athekame.
The second half began in much more lively fashion, and the visitors were very briefly celebrating a second goal through Adrien Rabiot just two minutes after the interval, only for the effort to be ruled out for a handball from Niclas Füllkrug in the build-up.
Undeterred, the Rossoneri maintained their pressure and were soon awarded a penalty when Felipe Loyola tripped Strahinja Pavlović inside the box. However, Milan didn’t make the most of their golden opportunity as Füllkrug’s spot-kick glanced off the post to his dismay.
It still appeared that the visitors would ease to victory due to Pisa’s shot-shy season, but remarkably, the hosts equalised against the run of play in the 71st minute, thanks to a curling 15-yard strike from Loyola that found the bottom corner to set up a grandstand finale.
Unsurprisingly, Milan threw everything at the Nerazzurri to try and grab a vital late winner, and they came close to retaking the lead when Füllkrug’s close-range shot was steered narrowly wide of the target after being set up by Samuele Ricci.
With time quickly running out and the Rossoneri on the brink of registering an extremely frustrating draw, Luka Modrić came to Milan’s rescue with a clever finish past Nícolas to spare the visitors’ blushes.
Despite finishing the game with 10 men after Rabiot was sent off after collecting two yellow cards in quick succession, Milan held on to claim all three points.
The Rossoneri remain second in Serie A, four points clear of third-placed SSC Napoli. Meanwhile, Pisa are now on a miserable run of 14 matches without a win and sit six points adrift of safety.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Strahinja Pavlović (AC Milan)