The Portugal striker arrived at San Siro from Porto among much fanfare in the close-season, but he had failed to score in 16 previous top-flight matches for the Rossoneri in a difficult domestic campaign.

However, Silva was the hero for Gennaro Gattuso's men at the Luigi Ferraris when he leapt to head in Suso's 94th-minute cross and settle what had been an attritional contest. 

Genoa will feel aggrieved not to have secured a share of the spoils having defended resolutely for most of the game, and had Luca Rigoni not been denied by a tight VAR call or Ervin Zukanovic not spectacularly fluffed his lines with a close-range header in the second half the host might have won.

For Milan, the late drama marks a spirited response to the 2-0 UEFA Europa League defeat to Arsenal – Milan's first loss in any competition since December – and it will now look ahead to Friday's (AEDT) rescue mission in the second leg.

A three-point return also sees Gattuso's men close to within six points of the UEFA Champions League qualification places.