AC Milan were denied all three points against rivals Inter Milan as a last minute equaliser saw the two sides play out a 2-2 draw at the San Siro in Serie A on Sunday evening.
Milan’s Suso scored either side of Inter’s Antonio Candreva equaliser in the second half in what was a scrappy affair between both sides desperate for a win, however Ivan Perisic snatched a point for Inter with a dramatic strike at the death.
Before kick off, Milan were flying high in the league having secured impressive wins over Juventus and Lazio to begin the day in the top three, while Inter had already sacked their manager in an extremely underwhelming start that saw them start the game in ninth position.
After a dogged display from both sides however, Milan and Inter remained as they were, as the former lost yet more ground on leaders Juventus at the top.
In terms of team news for both sides, Milan were without Alessio Romagnoli after the 21-year-old picked up an injury while on international duty with Italy, with his position at the back taken by Gustavo Gomez, while Carlos Bacca got the nod in front of Gianluca Lapadula.
For Inter, new boss Pioli made a surprise change in midfield, dropping Ever Banega to the bench and shuffling defensive midfielder Gary Medel into central defence.
The game started as expected, with tackles flying in from all areas of the pitch, but it only took 10 minutes for Inter’s Geoffrey Kondogbia to have the first attempt on goal, with a header 10 yards out that he perhaps should have put on target.
Inter continued to start the better of the two sides, with Ivan Perisic having his effort on the edge of the box well saved by Milan keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Milan’s lack of discipline was costing them dearly as the first half developed, giving Ivan Perisic another chance just 10 minutes later to hit the target with a header from a Danilo D’Ambrosio’s cross, however it was glanced just wide.
Antonio Candreva’s speculative effort caused further concern for the Milan defence, who were struggling to contain such an aggressive attacking approach, spearheaded by Mauro Icardi, who should have perhaps finished himself in the 36th minute with a right footed curled effort.
However, with five minutes of the half remaining, Milan began to get a foothold in the attacking third and, perhaps undeservedly, took one of their only chances well to open the scoring at the San Siro, as Giacomo Bonaventura fed Suso on the right hand side of the box to finish swiftly with a low, accurate strike.
The second half began much like the end of the first, with both sides creating chances through the likes of Giacomo Bonaventura and the lively Antonio Candreva, and the latter made it count just eight minutes in, scoring a delightful goal in the top corner to bring the scores level.
But six minutes later, Milan’s adventurous mentality paid off once more as Carlos Bacca combined well with Suso in the Inter box for the latter to score his second of the game and regain control of the match, with the game becoming open and end-to-end.
Inter continued to create chances to no avail, despite the introduction of fresh legs in the form of Stevan Jovetic from the bench, with Ivan Perisic and Mauro Icardi remaining a constant threat in the closing moments.
And it paid off once more, as in stoppage time, Ivan Perisic’s efforts throughout the game were rewarded with a strike in the six-yard box to claim a point for Pioli’s struggling Inter.
AC Milan line up: Donnarumma; Abate, Gomez, Paletta, De Sciglio; Kucka, Locatelli, Bonaventura; Suso, Bacca, Niang
Inter Milan line up: Handanovic; D’Ambrosio, Medel, Miranda, Ansaldi; Brozovic, Kondogbia; Candreva, Mario, Perisic; Icardi
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