MILAN — AC Milan failed to take advantage of its rivals´ slipups after it was held at home by relegation-threatened Salernitana to 1-1 in Serie A.
Olivier Giroud headed Milan in front on the stroke of halftime but Boulaye Dia replied in the 61st minute.
Milan remained fourth but inched one point clear of Roma. The defending champion was a point behind Lazio and two below Inter Milan in a tight battle for the Champions League qualifying spots.
Salernitana was seven points above the drop zone, AP reported.
Inter, Lazio and Roma all dropped points at the weekend so Milan knew it could move level on points with its city rival in second.
The Rossoneri were also full of confidence after reaching the Champions League quarterfinals after drawing at Tottenham midweek.
Giroud almost scored a spectacular opener in the 27th but he sent an overhead kick on a corner narrowly over the crossbar.
The veteran forward did break the deadlock in first-half stoppage time when he headed in a corner.
However, Milan gifted Salernitana the equalizer when it left Dia completely unmarked to slot home Domagoj Bradari’c’s cross.
Milan was awarded a penalty in the 70th for an apparent foul by Bradari´c on Ismaël Bennacer but the referee revoked his decision after reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor.
The Rossoneri laid siege to the goal but incredibly it was a Milan player who denied his team an almost certain winner, three minutes from time.
Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa succeeded only in palming Theo Hernandez’s cross-shot onto the head of Alessandro Florenzi, who nodded it onto his foot and volleyed towards goal.
Salernitana defender Norbert Gyomber appeared to head it off the line but replays showed his defensive header was actually going in before it came off the arm of Milan defender Pierre Kalulu.
Ten-man AS Roma’s chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League took a hit as they suffered a 4-3 Serie A defeat in a goalfest at home to Sassuolo.
The loss meant Roma missed the chance to jump into third place and instead they are fifth, level on 47 points.
Armand Lauriente gave Sassuolo the lead after 13 minutes and scored again five minutes later when Domenico Berardi got to the byline and crossed for his fellow forward to net.
Roma reduced the arrears after 26 minutes when the unmarked Nicola Zalewski sent a volley into the ground that bounced over goalkeeper Andrea Consigli and looped into the goal.
However, the hosts then had Marash Kumbulla sent of for kicking the prone Berardi inside the box. Berardi got up to convert the penalty four minutes into first-half stoppage time.
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