(Football news) AC Milan were held to a 0-0 draw against Bologna at home as they missed the chance to open a three point lead over Napoli and Inter. Wins by defending champions Inter Milan and second-placed Napoli over the weekend put pressure on Milan to respond against Bologna who were without coach Sinisa Mihajlovic on the touchline as he underwent hospital treatment for leukaemia.

The hosts struggled to get going as they had very few chances with French forward Olivier Giroud going close with a header, which was well saved by Lukasz Skorupski, that was close as they came to a goal in the first half. In the second half there was little improvement as Milan coach Stefano Pioli called for Zlatan Ibrahimovic to come off the bench but the veteran could not inspire his side to a win against a very well drilled defence of Bologna which withstood plenty of late pressure to seal an unlikely point. With this result Milan moved to 67 points ahead of Napoli on 66 with seven games to play as the Rossenari’s are still in the hunt for their first Scudetto since 2011. Third-placed Inter are three points back and have played a game less than their title rivals. Bologna with that result stayed 12th in the Serie A standings

“We were unable to find that little moment, the twist, the shot that could change it. We did everything else," Pioli, in charge of Milan for the 100th time in Serie A said.

"I totally exclude the idea that we felt the pressure psychologically (after wins by Inter and Napoli). The team played with the right character, temperament and mentality, even with quality up until the final third."

"This is a difficult time for us," assistant manager Emilio De Leo said. "Mihajlovic asked us not to let go even for a moment, just as he is doing. He was proud of the performance.

"The coach spoke to the squad after the game. We had a direct video call and he congratulated the squad. The team was really pleased. We warmed his heart tonight."

Also read: Crystal Palace humiliate Arsenal and dampen their top 4 hopes