November 30, (THEWILL) — AC Milan moved to the top of Serie A after a 1-0 victory over Lazio at San Siro. Rafael Leao’s second-half strike proved decisive, but only after the hosts survived a lengthy VAR review that denied the visitors a penalty deep into stoppage time.
Mike Maignan kept Milan level with a superb reflex save to keep out Mario Gila’s header inside two minutes. Mattia Zaccagni also forced the goalkeeper into action at his near post before the interval, but the Rossoneri broke through six minutes after the restart. A flowing one-touch move sent Fikayo Tomori clear down the right, and his cross was bundled home by Leao from close range.
Leao went close to adding a second when Ivan Provedel turned away his header. However, his earlier goal stood firm despite late drama when referee Giuseppe Collu was sent to his pitchside monitor in the 100th minute following an apparent handball by Strahinja Pavlovic inside the box.
The incident sparked furious protests from Lazio, with manager Massimiliano Allegri shown a red card for his reaction. Yet Collu awarded Milan a free-kick instead, ruling that Adam Marusic had dragged Pavlovic to the ground. The decision allowed the hosts to cling on for another 1-0 victory and claim top spot in the table.
The result extended Milan’s recent run of slender victories and the three points lifted them above their rivals. However, the manner of the win will provide talking points given the controversial finale and Lazio’s sense of injustice.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
