AC Milan stretched their lead at the top of Serie A with a 1-0 win over a Juventus side in crisis.
Gattuso the unlikely as leaders surge clear
AC Milan stretched their lead at the top of Serie A with a 1-0 win over a Juventus side in crisis.
Goals from Gennaro Gattuso are few and far between, but he proved to be the hero on Saturday as his solitary strike settled a crunch clash at Giuseppe Meazza.
His 68th minute effort helped to take Milan eight points clear of the chasing pack, while condemning Juve to a third straight defeat.
The Bianconeri did not even manage a single shot on goal and, as a result, they remain in seventh but could drop to as low as ninth on Sunday.
Juve were fortunate not to fall behind in the third minute when their former player Zlatan Ibrahimovic prepared himself to volley in a cross from the left, but Armand Traore managed to just get his toe to the ball and the Sweden striker's shot went over the crossbar.
Milan had the better chances in a first half in which Juve dominated territorially but never came close to scoring.
Blazed
Antonio Cassano should have scored in the 22nd minute, but he delayed his shot and then turned inside and blazed the ball over the crossbar from 10 yards.
Ibrahimovic tried to catch Gianluigi Buffon out with a free-kick in the 53rd minute, but the Juve goalkeeper scurried across his goal to push the ball wide.
Milan then took the lead in the 68th minute with Gattuso ending his long drought.
Ibrahimovic chested the ball down and when Juve failed to clear their lines, Gattuso latched onto the ball on the edge of the area and his left-foot shot slid under the arms of Buffon.
Juve showed little sign of life, even after going behind, and the closest they came to scoring was with a late scramble in the penalty area which did not lead to a shot on goal.
The result will also increase the pressure on coach Luigi Delneri, whose job was already hanging in the balance before the game.
