PHOTO GALLERY The penalty missed by Dybala allows Milan to collect the standings in Italy » Four teams separated by a single point at the top of the hierarchy!

The first important scoring opportunity of the game came after only 50 seconds from the starting whistle of the “central” Marco Guida and it belonged to the “Giallorossi”. Following a shallow Mike Maignan clearance, the visitors intercepted the ball and ended the period with a shot, but captain Cristante's execution went wide of the Frenchman's goal.

The hesitations in Allegri's side's play continued, and after another 9 minutes, the visitors went wide again to open the scoring. Following a cross from Matias Soule, Evan Ndicka rose above the Milan defense and headed home, but the ball missed the goal post.

Milan needed only one chance to break the deadlock

However, it was the Milanese who managed to score. It all started from a ball recovered by the hosts in their own box, then the ball ended up in the possession of Rafael Leao, who surpassed his direct opponent extremely easily, after which he entered the Rome box, perfectly serving the defender Strahinja Pavlovic, who appeared surprisingly at the end.

The Serbian stopper restarted from the first and the ball ended up in the net, passing between Svilar and El Aynaoui. Thus, the “Rossoners” entered the cabins with an advantage, score 1-0.

Three great opportunities for Milan and a missed penalty by Roma!

The start of the second act came with a completely different flow of play to that of the first 45 minutes, with the hosts pressing and missing three huge chances in the space of just a few minutes.

First, Youssouf Fofana took Svilar on target from the penalty spot, then the Serbian goalkeeper made an excellent save on Rafa Leao's powerful shot from the left corner of the box. From the resulting corner, another great scoring chance was born for Max Allegri's side – Christopher Nkunku hit the bar.

Gradually, Gasperini's students took control of the game again, being constantly present in the opposing half, but they were no longer able to create emotions at Maignan's goal.

What's more, escaped on the counterattack, Milan had the chance to double their advantage, but Mario Hermoso rejected Leao's shot from the goal line.

However, the end of the match brought an unexpected chance for Gasperini's team to restore the tie. Following a free kick executed by Lorenzo Pellegrini, Youssouf Fofana hit the ball with his hand and Marco Guida dictated the penalty for Roma.

It was Paulo Dybala who took over from the penalty spot, but the Argentinian was tipped over by Mike Maignan and thus the home side's goal remained intact.

A fierce fight for the “Scudetto” is announced!

Following this result, Max Allegri's team accumulated 21 points and climbed to the last step of the podium in Italy, sharing the same score with Chivu's Inter, occupying the second place, but also with tonight's opponent, who after the defeat suffered at San Siro, dropped to the 4th position in the ranking.

The leader is still Napoli, with a minimum lead over the three teams at the top of the hierarchy. Juventus shouldn't be ruled out of the title race either, with Spalletti's side currently on 18 points.

In the next round of Serie A, Milan will play at Parma's ground, while Roma will receive the visit of Udinese, the team for which Răzvan Sava plays.

Until then, however, the “Giallorossii” will face Rangers, at Ibrox Stadium, in the 4th stage of the Europa League. The game will take place on Thursday, November 6, from 22:00.

Serie A standings:

FINAL » AC Milan – AS Roma 1-0

• Click HERE for statistics;

• They scored: S. Pavlovic (38');

• The 80th minute: Penalty missed by Rome! The referee Marco Guida dictated a shot from 11 meters for the visitors, after a handball committed by Fofana in his own box. However, the score remained 1-0 as Mike Maignan managed to block Paulo Dybala's spot-kick.

AC Milan – AS Roma » Starting teams:

AC MILAN (3-5-2): Maignan – De Winter, Gabbia, Pavlovic – Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Ricci, Bartesaghi – Nkunku, Leao
reserves: Pittarella, Terraciano – Athekame, Castiello, Estupinian, Jashari, Loftus-Cheek, Odogu, Tomori
Coach: Massimiliano Allegri

AS ROME (3-4-2-1): Svilar – Hermoso, Mancini, Ndicka – Celik, Cristante, Kone, El Aynaoui – Soule, Wesley Franca – Dybala
reserves: Gollini, Vasquez – Bailey, Baldanzi, Dovbyk, El Shaarawy, Ghilardi, Pellegrini, Pisilli, Rensch, Tsimikas, Ziolkowksi
Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini

Stadium: San Siro (Milan)
Referee: Marco Guida