Milan stumble at Lazio as Inter held

01 February 2012 22:16

AC Milan handed Juventus the advantage in the Serie A title race as they lost 2-0 at Lazio on Wednesday, with Inter Milan held to a draw in an eight-goal thriller against Palermo.

Milan trail Juve by a point at the top but the Old Lady of Turin have a game in hand after their match at Parma on Tuesday night was called off due to snow.

Third-placed Udinese closed the gap to the leaders to three points with a 2-1 win at home to Lecce while fourth-placed Lazio are now just two points behind that.

It was a game of little action and few chances in the capital but Milan came closest to scoring in a tight first period.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic sent over a whipped cross that found Antonio Nocerino breaking from deep but his header from 12 yards was brilliantly saved by Federico Marchetti.

Milan opened up their hosts when young forward Stephan El Shaarawy played a one-two with Ibrahimovic but was then perhaps guilty of being too honest as he took the ball around Marchetti.

There was definite contact but the teenager tried to stay on his feet, was forced wide and then saw his shot from an angle blocked.

But 14 minutres from time Tommaso Rocchi's clever dummy put Hernanes in and he hooked his shot across the Milan goalkeeper.

Hernanes could have put the match to bed after that but his shot from the edge of the box whizzed just past the post.

But Rocchi then made the points safe five minutes from time as he clipped home a cross from Senad Lulic.

Diego Milito scored all four Inter goals at the San Siro but Fabrizio Miccoli bagged a hat-trick for the visitors to earn a point.

On a snow-covered pitch that made viewing the ball difficult, Palermo took the lead when Miccoli's corner somehow found its' way to the back post where Andrea Mantovani slid in to poke home two yards out.

But a deep ball into the box from Maicon caused havoc in the Palermo backline and the ball fell to Milito to shoot home.

Miccoli restored Palermo's lead with a left-foot shot but Ezequiel Munoz then brought down Yuto Nagatomo in the box and Milito despatched the resulting penalty.

Milito shot home from six yards to complete his hat-trick and put Inter in front for the first time just past the hour mark.

But Federico Balzaretti's driven cross from the left was met with a diving header by Miccoli, who nipped in front of Nagatomo to resotre parity again.

Milito again put the hosts in front with his fourth from close range as Giampaolo Pazzini's scuffed effort from Javier Zanetti's cross fell kindly to him.

But Josip Ilicic slipped in Miccoli to complete his treble with a cross-shot that beat Julio Cesar.

In Udine the hosts went in front when new signing Michele Pazienza took just two minutes to open his account on his return to the club, heading home Antonio Di Natale's free-kick.

David Di Michele scored with a stunning shot from 25 yards out on the left that flew inside the far post.

But Di Natale secured the win when he was fed by Antonio Floro Flores following a mistake from goalkeeper Massimiliano Benassi.

It was an entertaining game in Sardinia that saw Roma lose more ground in the race for a Champions League finish with a 3-2 defeat to Cagliari.

Thiago Ribeiro opened the scoring for the hosts with a great shot from 25 yards out to the left that caught out Maarten Stekelenburg at his near post.

Juan equalised with a bullet header from Francesco Totti's corner before Fabio Borini gave Roma the lead as he slotted home after Miralem Pjanic hit the bar.

Andrea Cossu teed up Mauricio Pinilla to draw the sides level and another sumptuous strike from Thiago Robeiro put the hosts back in front.

Albin Ekdal put the icing on the cake in injury time after excellent work from the dogged Victor Ibarbo.

Source: AFP