ROME, Jan 25 : AC Milan’s title hopes suffered a blow as they were held to a 1-1 draw by AS Roma in a rain-soaked clash in the capital on Sunday that left Inter Milan five points clear at the top of the Serie A standings.
Second-placed Milan moved to 47 points, while Roma climbed to third on 43, level with Napoli, who suffered a 3-0 defeat earlier on Sunday.
Inter had cranked up the pressure in the title race with a 6-2 comeback win against Pisa on Friday.
Roma had several chances to grab the opening goal in the first half, but Milan keeper Mike Maignan was in inspired form, producing a reflex save on the line to deny the hosts just before the break, with his performance earning him the Man-of-the-Match award.
After a difficult first half, Milan made the breakthrough in the 62nd minute when Koni De Winter rose to glance home a header from a cross, sparking wild celebrations on the visitors’ bench.
However, the home crowd were roaring 12 minutes later when Davide Bartesaghi was penalised for handball and the referee pointed to the spot, with Lorenzo Pellegrini making no mistake to level for Roma.
Neither side could break the deadlock in the closing stages, with Roma dominating possession and Milan waiting for an opening on the counter.
The visitors had a late scare when the ball struck Christian Pulisic’s arm. The incident, however, was waved away by the referee as his arm was tucked against his body, and the sides shared the spoils.
