Serie A: AC Milan extend their lead as Inter again drop points

(Football news) AC Milan extended their lead after a narrow 1-0 victory over Empoli. The Rossoneri increased their advantage at the top of the table to five points after Pierre Kalulu's first-half strike earned a crucial victory over Empoli. The hosts appeared to be nervous in the second half and struggled to create clear-cut chances as they looked to put the game to bed, with goalkeeper Mike Maignan forced to make some fine saves to protect their lead. Milan nonetheless held on to secure a second successive victory which subsequently moved them to 63 points from 29 matches. Stefano Pioli's side were not at their best during the month of December but since the winter break they are now unbeaten in nine games in all competitions and closing on a first Scudetto since 2011.

Pioli after the match said "Nine games [left] is a lot. Twenty-seven points [to play for] are a lot. All the top five are in with a chance of winning the title. We shouldn't look too far ahead. I will only talk about the title before the last day of the season. Our opponents have to play tomorrow, there are still games to catch up. I think it would be much more normal if everyone had played all the games, then it is clear what we need to do."

Inter dropped crucial points as they drew 1-1 against Torino in a match which could be detrimental for their title credentials. Alexis Sanchez's stoppage-time strike earned Inter Milan a dramatic draw as the Serie A title race took another twist yesterday. In doing so, Inter fell behind early on in Turin as they looked to keep pace at the top with Bremer stabbing home the ball in the goal with 12 minutes on the clock. There were plenty of chances for Inter Milan in the second half as Edin Dzeko headed over the bar from a glorious position late on and it seemed that the moment might have come and gone. Substitute Sanchez showed composure and snatched a late equaliser in what could be a crucial point for Inter in the Scudetto race. Simone Inzaghi's side are now in third-place, four points behind leaders AC Milan with a game in hand, with Juventus only three points further back.

Inzaghi said after the match "To win the Scudetto, we need to approach matches better. We lost energy and players through injury at crucial moments of the season, but this shouldn't be an excuse. We have 10 'finals' plus the Italian Cup to come. Now we need to recover energy and some results. There is physical and mental fatigue, but we are Inter and we have to do better."

Napoli bounced back after their disappointing loss to AC Milan last week with a 2-1 victory over Hellas Verona. The Gli Azzurri climbed to second in Serie A after a double from Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen fired them to a much needed victory in the title race. Osimhen made all the difference in this match as he headed Napoli in front in the 14th minute before Verona applied plenty of pressure after the break but Napoli's top goalscorer recovered from the hefty challenges he had in the first half to double his side's lead with 19 minutes remaining on the clock and had virtually sealed the result for them. A spirited Verona refused to give up and got back into the contest after Davide Faraoni headed home, but Federico Ceccherini was sent off for two reckless challenges meant that with seven minutes remaining their chances of a comeback were cut short. The victory took Luciano Spalletti's side to 60 points from 29 matches, three points behind leaders AC Milan.

"I think after the defeat to Milan everyone was upset, so we went into a difficult ground against an organised team with determination and desire to win. It's a deserved win. In order to win the Scudetto, we must try to win every game this season. Today was a step towards our objective and I believe we can do it." Spalletti after the match

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