AC Milan handed Juventus the advantage in Italy’s 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 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 metres 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 minutes 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 difficult.
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 metres 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.
In an entertaining game in Sardinia, Roma lost more ground in the race for a Champions League finish with a 3-2 defeat to Cagliari.
