Milan secure narrow derby victory to reduce Inter's Serie A advantage
Pervis Estupinans first half strike was sufficient for AC Milan to secure a 1 zero derby success at the San Siro on Sunday, thereby narrowing Inter Milans lead at the summit of Serie A to seven points.
Inter might have extended their advantage to 13 points with only 10 fixtures left in the campaign had they won, yet Milan preserved their championship ambitions and prolonged their unbeaten streak against the city foes to seven encounters across all tournaments.
Estupinan netted 10 minutes prior to the interval, followed by a resilient backline effort in the latter half that delivered Massimiliano Allegri's Milan a vital triumph.
The Rossoneri, who have suffered just two league defeats this term, are pursuing their initial Scudetto since 2022 and merely their second in over a decade.
Inter remain poised to reclaim the crown they surrendered last year to Napoli, who trail by 11 points in third following a spate of injuries, although this outcome demands further effort from them.
Inter manager Cristian Chivu selected Pio Esposito and Ange-Yoan Bonny as forwards, with Marcus Thuram sidelined by illness.
Skipper Lautaro Martinez, sidelined by a calf problem, featured on the bench solely to stay near his squad.
Milan nearly opened the scoring early on, as Luka Modric, observed from the stands by ex colleagues Sergio Ramos and Mario Mandzukic, narrowly missed after Christian Pulisic nabbed a wayward pass from Inter custodian Yann Sommer.
Inter posed a genuine threat for the initial occasion in the 34th minute, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan advancing from midfield deep into the penalty area, only to fire directly at Mike Maignan, prompting Milan to counter swiftly and take the lead.
A superb collective effort culminated in Youssouf Fofana delivering an ideal pass to left back Estupinan.
The Ecuadorian controlled the ball and rifled in his debut Milan goal since his summer transfer from Brighton.
Inter squandered a prime opportunity to equalise in the 54th minute, as Mkhitaryan set up Federico Dimarco, but the wing back blazed his effort over the bar.
The frontrunners began to gain momentum and came near twice more via replacement Denzel Dumfries and Bonny.
Inter dominated the ball thereafter but found it hard to fashion decisive openings, even amid a late barrage of corners, as Milan clung on for a key victory and sustained their title dreams.
Roma slip from fourth position
Previously, Roma fell outside the top four, supplanted by Como following Vitinhas late effort that secured Genoa a 2-1 victory over the Rome outfit at home.
Como, yet to feature in European competition, snatched the final Champions League spot from Roma via superior goal difference.
Juventus lag one point behind in sixth.
Roma will journey to meet Como, who claimed a third successive league success by overcoming Cagliari on Saturday, in seven days, in a match that may prove pivotal for the top four contention.
Genoa, under ex Roma playmaker Daniele De Rossi, assumed control via a Junior Messias spot kick seven minutes after the restart, after Lorenzo Pellegrini lost footing and tripped Mikael Egill Ellertsson within the penalty area.
Roma responded merely three minutes on, with defender Evan Ndicka nodding home for his third match in a row, following Gianluca Mancinis original attempt being blocked on the line by Messias.
Genoa responded with 10 minutes to spare, striking Roma's Champions League aspirations, as Vitinha slotted in from near range.