AC Milan returns to winning ways
AC Milan bounced back from its midweek defeat to Juventus by overcoming Torino 2-0 at San Siro to take a four-point lead at the top of Serie A.
Stefano Pioli's team suffered its first loss of the season last time out but produced a response worthy of a champion, turning in an accomplished display on Sunday (AEDT).
With Zlatan Ibrahimovic making a return off the bench after his recovery from injury, Rafael Leao opened the scoring before Franck Kessie's penalty made it 2-0.
Torino had a penalty of its own overturned in the second half but Andrea Belotti's poor header to end a rare attack summed up a disappointing performance, meaning its long wait for a league win at Milan goes on.
The hosts managed four attempts by the 17th minute and their dominance told when Theo Hernandez found Brahim Diaz, whose slick first-time pass played in Leao to dispatch a finish which the watching Ibrahimovic would have been proud of.
Torino's frustration was compounded seven minutes later when Diaz drew a hefty, last-ditch tackle from Belotti.
Referee Fabio Maresca pointed to the spot and despite checking with VAR (video assistant referee), found no reason to change his decision. Kessie calmly sent Salvatore Sirigu the wrong way.
The crossbar prevented Ricardo Rodriguez pulling one back against his former club with a superb free-kick – Torino's first shot – while Sirigu made a brilliant stop to deny Kessie on the stroke of half-time.
Torino thought it had a lifeline when Simone Verdi went down under pressure from Sandro Tonali but, after initially giving the penalty, referee Maresca overturned his decision after a VAR check. Tonali came off worse from the collision too, the former Brescia midfielder having to be taken off on a stretcher.
Belotti wasted his first sight of goal by heading tamely at Gianluigi Donnarumma, who pulled off a fantastic 90th-minute stop to keep out Jacopo Segre's deflected attempt to stem any danger of a late Torino comeback.
