AC Milan Hold Off AS Roma At San Siro

 

AC Milan shrugged off a hard-fought resilience from AS Roma to win by 1-0 at home as the visiting side lost an important moment to rescue a point from a penalty. 

Roma desperately needed the maximum point to top the Serie A table but found Milan's half difficult to surmount. Even when Fafona drew a penalty, Paulo Dybala missed the spot-kick. There a handful of opportunities for Milan to have finished off, but they held on to the lead, instead. 

The hosts took the lead, which eventually was the winning goal, following a fast break instigated by Rafael Leao. The winger cut back the ball to Strahinja Pavlovic, who tapped in the ball from inside the six-yard box in the 39th minute. 

Milan have only lost a game in all competitions this season. Though they are third in the table, they share 21 points apiece with Inter Milan (2) and Roma (4).

Overview 

Rafael Leao was prominent as Milan held off Roma, making counterattacks that ultimately proved effective. The Portuguese winger created the build-up to the opening goal and set up the build-up to Toussouf Fafona's shot on target before the interval. 

Breaking into Milan's box was difficult for Roma. They were ambitious, wanting to get an equalizer and exploiting the left wing to find space. Drawing a penalty from Fofana's handball offense following a free-kick from Pelligrini's foul almost ruined Milan's lead. Mike Maignan's brilliant save kept the side in the game.