Fiorentina 1-2 AC Milan: Rossoneri earn narrow win over hosts to tighten grip on second spot

AC Milan defeated Fiorentina 2-1 away on Saturday at the Artemio Franchi Stadium to consolidate second place in Serie A, the home team's first game since director Joe Barone's death.

Milan have 65 points, six ahead of third-place Juventus, who lost 1-0 to Lazio, and 11 behind leaders Inter Milan, who face Empoli on Monday. Fiorentina are 10th with 43 points.

After a scoreless first half, the game picked up after the break, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek scoring within two minutes for the visitors. Fiorentina responded in the 50th minute, with Alfred Duncan scoring from distance.

Milan reclaimed the lead three minutes later, with Rafael Leao's goal separating the two sides.

"In the first half we could have already scored three goals, in the second we came in with the right spirit and closed it out," Leao told Sky Sport.

A minute's silence was observed by both sets of fans before the game in memory of Barone, who died on March 19, with his seat in the stands empty except for flowers and a Fiorentina jersey with his name on the back.

"We did our best by honouring the memory of our director, the lads put a team like Milan in difficulty and we have to start from this performance," Fiorentina manager Vincenzo Italiano said.

Milan created the early chances, with Olivier Giroud shooting from close range into the arms of goalkeeper Pietro Terracciano, who did well to save a header from Samuel Chukwueze.

Fiorentina, perhaps overwhelmed by the occasion, took nearly half an hour to get going, and forward Andrea Belotti should have done better when one-on-one with the keeper, but his shot flew straight at Mike Maignan.

Terracciano saved Leao's close-range effort, but a pass to the unmarked Chukwueze in front of goal might have been a better option.

Milan broke the deadlock with a clever back heel across goal by Leao, which fell to Loftus-Cheek, who had plenty of time to tuck the ball into the empty net following a slip by Fiorentina's Nikola Milenkovic.

Fiorentina responded immediately, with Lucas Beltran passing to Duncan, whose powerful shot from distance found the far bottom corner of Maignan's goal.

However, the home crowd's joy was short-lived. Tijjani Reijnders' pass found Leao, who slipped past Fiorentina's defence and rounded the keeper before rolling the ball home.

Terracciano made another fine save to keep out Alessandro Florenzi's shot from the edge of the area, and with Fiorentina looking for an equaliser, Belotti and Rolando Mandragora called Maignan into action.

Fiorentina's final chance came in added time, but a weak header from substitute Nicolas Gonzalez never troubled the keeper, and Milan took all three points.

"We approached the game well, suffered the right amount and won by playing a real game with confidence, positivity and good control," Milan manager Stefano Pioli told Sky Sport.

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