Milan - AC Milan have reacted with a mix of surprise and pride to their rise to the top of the Italian Serie A, a place they last occupied more than four years ago.

Their start to the season was a nightmare with two defeats, at home to promoted Bologna and at Genoa, but the following seven wins and one draw have now pushed them to the top on a 22-point tally from 10 games.

A lucky 1-0 win over Napoli, who were down to 10 men and hurt themselves with an own goal, allowed the Devils to leap ahead of Udinese, Napoli, and, probably msot important, champions Inter Milan.

Massimo Moratti, the president of the title-holding crosstown rivals, did not miss the chance to underscore the scudetti Inter won in the past three seasons.

Beside praising Milan, who in late September beat Inter 1-0 in the city derby, Moratti said he "didn't now it was so long since they were last placed first in the home league. It was years that they didn't feel the thrill of the first place."

Milan vice president Adriano Galliani promptly replied in a radio interview that "as regards the thrills felt and not felt, in Italy and abroad, there's nothing to debate."

It was a clear reference to Milan's triumphs in the international arena, which made the Devils one of the most successful clubs worldwide.

After their last scudetto in 2004, a year after winning the Champions League, the red-blacks finished second, third, fourth and fifth, respectively, in the Serie A - 26 and 21 points behind Inter in the past two seasons.

Their international successes, however, remained intact, with a seventh Champions League and the Club World Cup won in 2007, plus two European Supercups.

As for Inter, they won their last international trophy, the UEFA Cup, in 1998, and need to go back to the 1960s for their two Champions Cups, the predecessor of the Champions League.

Looking at the remainder of a season that sees Milan also engaged in the UEFA Cup, a trophy they strangely never won, Galliani said that "the idea is to remain at the top.

"We are geared for this. But I'm no clairvoyant and I cannot tell if it will happen.

"After the first two rounds of games everything was a disaster and (new arrival) Ronaldinho was but a football sticker. Now he made us win the derby and the game against Napoli."

Ronaldinho is Milan's best scorer on four goals and said he feels that the team "have the mentality to remain at the top in the league."

Galliani added that "our problem is the absence of (Alessandro) Nesta, who is injured. To me he is the greatest central defender in the world."

Nesta, 32, has suffered from backache since the summer and this week was on his way to surgery in Florida, with a possible return on the pitch set for January.

Milan's defence package, however, is already the best in the league, with seven goals conceded, as many as Inter and Juventus.

The Devils' also miss star playmaker Andrea Pirlo and look for improvement from Andriy Shevchenko who returned after two dismal seasons at Chelsea.

There is also David Beckham, who will play for Milan for a few weeks early next year. The English star's arrival is at least fantastic for Milan's marketing and merchandising.

Milan are likely to stay at or near the in the next weeks as the Serie A calendar pits them against mid-levels sides as Lecce, Chievo, Torino, Palermo and Catania.

But things will get tougher before the half-season point, with clashes against Juventus, Udinese, Roma and Fiorentina - a gruelling schedule to be repeated when the season ends in May. (dpa)