No Zlatan, no problem for high-flying Milan
Milan made light of Zlatan Ibrahimoivic's injury absence with an assured 2-0 win over Fiorentina to restore its five-point advantage at the top of Serie A.
Evergreen striker Ibrahimovic made it 10 goals in six top-flight matches this season when his brace inspired a 3-1 win at Napoli, although he limped off with a hamstring complaint in the closing stages.
Yet Stefano Pioli's side marched on without their talisman against struggling Fiorentina, with Franck Kessie netting one first-half penalty and missing a second after Alessio Romagnoli opened the scoring.
The result meant Milan was able to keep Inter at arm's length in what is shaping up to be an intriguing title battle, its city rival having dispatched third-placed Sassuolo 3-0 on Sunday (AEDT).
Fiorentina undid an encouraging start in the 17th minute when Milan captain Romagnoli was left unmarked at the back post to nod in Kessie's flick-on from Hakan Calhanoglu's right-wing corner.
Dusan Vlahovic thumped against Gianluigi Donnarumma's near post as Cesare Prandelli's men searched for an equaliser but they were left with a mountain to climb when German Pezzella clumsily brought down Alexis Saelemaekers in the area.
Kessie coolly sent Bartlomiej Dragowski the wrong way but the Fiorentina goalkeeper levelled their personal battle in the 40th minute – springing to his left to keep out a poorly struck spot-kick after Martin Caceres bundled into the marauding Theo Hernandez.
Calhanoglu fizzed a fabulous half-volley into the side netting before half-time and came even closer in the 53rd minute, hitting the base of the left post.
Franck Ribery almost reduced the arrears two minutes later but Donnarumma was equal to the veteran campaigner's dinked effort – a squandered chance which summed up a Fiorentina display littered with moments of self-sabotage.
