Serie A: AC Milan hold on for a draw against Inter as Napoli also drop points against Hellas Verona

(Football news) Although AC Milan and Napoli dropped points, they are still at the top of the table as Atalanta moved into the top four with a victory over Cagliari. AS Roma suffered an embarrassing loss to Venezia as Jose Mourinho’s side looked under pressure to perform.

AC Milan somehow managed to hold off a rampant Inter to a 1-1 draw against Inter Milan, Stefan Poli’s side lacked the cutting edge display that we have been accustomed to. In the first half Inter were the dominant side from the get go and go off to the best possible start, when Franck Kessie tangled with Calhanoglu in the penalty box to concede a penalty, which was coolly converted by the former AC Milan player. Inter’s lead didn't last for too long as Stefan De Vrij headed Sandro Tonali’s free kick into his own net in 17th minute, Inter’s constant pressure resulted in Fode Ballo Toure bring down Matteo Darmian but this time Lautaro Martinez stepped up and it brilliantly saved by Tatarusanu.

In the second half AC Milan restored some parity as they created some opportunities, Zlatan was omnipresent on the field for the entire match but almost won the match in the end after he almost curled the ball just past the top far corner and also had a fierce free kick saved by Samir Handanovic. With this result AC Milan stay level on points with Napoli on top of the table with 32 points, for Inter they stay third with 25 points.

Inter coach Inzaghi said. “For us the glass is half empty, we missed so many chances and a penalty, and we deserved more. But we faced a great team that is top because it deserves to be. And we’re continuing to improve … Milan and Napoli are going at an incredible rate but there are many games left and there’s time and space.

Pioli said “The glass is half full. It’s clear that you always play to win, especially when it’s a derby match. We suffered a bit in the first 20 minutes of the second half but then we got back on top again. On the whole, I’m happy because we played well against very strong opponents

Napoli couldn’t take advantage of AC Milan’s slip up as they drew 1-1 against Hellas Verona, Luciano Spalletti’s side was boosted by the unexpected return of Insigne and Osimhen. In the first half Napoli got off to a lackluster start as Giovanni Simeone scored his seventh goal in four matches to give Verona an early lead but the lead lasted for only five minutes as Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s low drilling shot leveled it up. In the second half Verona finished the game with nine men after substitutes Daniel Bessa and Nikola Kalinic were both shown second yellow cards in the dying minute. With this result it leaves Verona in 10th with 16 points and Napoli move to 32 points as well.

Juventus dramatically won 1-0 against Fiorentina, it was Allegri’s 200th win as Juventus manager. A goal from substitute Juan Cuadrado in stoppage time ended their three game winless streak in Serie A, it was enough for them to get three points. Although Juve barely deserved to win as they didn't even have a shot on target until Cuadrado scored, they got the added impetus to attack when Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic was sent off in the 73rd minute following two yellow cards in quick succession. With this result Juventus moved level on points with Fiorentina in seventh place with 18 points.

Allegri after the match said, “I am especially satisfied because we held on mentally. This should make us satisfied with today’s victory but also very angry at the points given up against Sassuolo, Empoli, Udinese or Hellas Verona. Today, against a good team, we had a lot of chances in the second half but also in the first half: but we missed the final pass on three or four attacks, we have to take better advantage of these opportunities.

Also read: Premier League: Manchester United’s misery continues while Liverpool and Chelsea drop points

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