AC Milan missed the chance to go second in Serie A as they slumped to a 4-2 defeat at neighbours Monza, finishing with 10 men after Luka Jovic was sent off.

Stefano Pioli’s side had made the short trip north full of confidence, having lost just once in all competitions since early December.

Milan produced a bright start, with Jovic sending a header from a free-kick straight at the Monza goalkeeper before Theo Hernandez saw his shot deflected wide.

At the other end, Monza forward Milan Djuric flicked a header onto the frame of the goal.

There was a lengthy stoppage from the 36th minute when Monza goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio came to punch out a corner and clashed heads with team-mate Andrea Carboni.

Both players needed treatment for cuts and were bandaged up, before it was decided Di Gregorio could not continue and Alessandro Sorrentino came on in goal.

When the action resumed, Monza were awarded a penalty after a poorly-timed challenge from Milan defender Malick Thiaw on Dany Mota. Matteo Pessina rolled the spot-kick into the bottom-right corner.

Milan immediately went on the offensive, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek nodding down a cross into the path of Jovic, whose volley was charged down by Pablo Mari before Hernandez fired the rebound over.

Monza, though, doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time.

Andrea Colpani snatched the ball off Ismael Bennacer and darted away down the right before playing in Mota on the overlap, with the midfielder cutting back inside to clip a deflected finish into the far corner.

Milan’s night got even worse just six minutes into the second half when Jovic was sent off for lashing out at Armando Izzo as the pair jostled near the centre circle. Having initially been cautioned, the striker was shown a red card by the referee following a VAR review.

Rossoneri boss Pioli made an attacking change as Olivier Giroud replaced Bennacer in the 55th minute.

The French striker pulled a goal back after 64 minutes when he volleyed in Christian Pulisic’s flicked header in the six-yard box.

Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan made a smart save to push over an angled shot from Samuele Birindelli before at the other end, Loftus-Cheek’s towering header dropped straight at Sorrentino.

Pulisic, who had been sent on at the start of the second half, fired Milan level with two minutes left after cutting inside onto his left foot and rifling an angled drive into the far corner.

Monza, though, snatched the lead once again when Warren Bondo whipped a fine 18-yard strike into the top-right corner – the goal allowed to stand following a VAR check for possible offside in the build-up.

In stoppage time, on-loan forward Lorenzo Colombo added a fourth following a breakaway, drilling a low shot into the bottom corner against his parent club.