AC Milan came back from a goal down to eventually beat Parma 2-1 on a chilly afternoon at the Stadio San Siro, and moved fourth in the Serie A table as a result.
Roberto Inglese bagged his fourth of the campaign to put the away side ahead early in the second half, but almost immediately Patrick Cutrone had the Rossoneri level with cool finish while under pressure.
Franck Kessie then put Milan ahead from the spot, after VAR ruled a handball offence from Alessandro Bastoni had been committed.
Parma’s record against Milan continues to be dismal with the Crociati having lost 14 of their last 17 Serie A matches when facing the Rossoneri.
Chances were few and far between early on, with Alberto Grassi having a go from distance and Cristian Zapata forcing a save from Luigi Sepe at the other end.
As the opening 45 minutes wore on Milan increased the pressure on the Parma midfield which resulted in the Gialloblu being pushed ever deeper.
That allowed the Rossoneri full backs to get forward, and Calabria flashed a cross across the penalty area, though no one was able to get on the end of it.
Suso went close when he had a shot from the edge of the area saved at the near post. Meanwhile at the other end, Riccardo Gagliolo put a free header wide, when it seemed easier to score.
After the break, Hakan Calhanoglu tried his luck from distance, but was unable to get his effort on target.
Then, Parma took an unexpected lead, Matteo Scozzarella whipped a corner into the near post and Inglese got free of Tiemoue Bakayoko to head into the far corner.
The lead only lasted six minutes as Cutrone diligently watched a looping ball into the penalty area and volleyed past Sepe to restore parity.
Milan were then award a penalty kick after referee Gianpaolo Calvarese consulted VAR and deemed that there was a handball by Bastoni on a Calhanoglu cross. Kessie stepped up and dispatched the spot kick, sending Sepe the wrong way in the process.
Kessie should have had his second and essentially put the game to bed, but as he rushed in on goal, he could only scoop his shot over the crossbar.
MUST DO BETTER
A somewhat dominant performance from Gennaro Gattuso’s men at the San Siro, but as has been the case often this season, it was harder than it needed to be. Parma scored with their first shot on target, and never really threatened before or after. While Milan have conceded goals in each of their last 10 home Serie A games which is something they haven’t done since 2008 when they conceded in 11 straight matches.
Injuries can be blamed for some of the mishaps, especially when Ignazio Abate has to fill in at centre-back, but the problems are more evident at the other end of the park. There is no guile, no cutting edge, and if Suso isn’t providing the bullets, then it’s very rare any get made. Even on the counterattack, Milan are slow and cumbersome. They should have put the game to bed in the final stages, as they caught Parma on the break three times, but on each occasion poor choices or a misplaced pass thwarted their efforts.
