Milan seals comeback win at Bologna in cup preview

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The victory at San Siro not only keeps the Rossoneri’s slim top-four hopes alive but also sets the stage for a tantalising Coppa Italia final next week between these two sides.

After a mostly uneventful first half, Riccardo Orsolini took charge just four minutes after the break, finishing a swift team move by cutting in from the right and drilling a powerful low shot into the bottom corner to put Bologna ahead.

Milan teased a fightback in the second half, with Theo Hernandez forcing Lukasz Skorupski into a vital save with a swerving effort from the edge of the area.

But it was substitute Gimenez who set San Siro alight in the 73rd minute, latching on to a diverted cross from Christian Pulisic. Left unmarked inside the box, the Mexican international slotted home with cool precision, firing through Skorupski's legs.

Pulisic then completed the turnaround for Milan just six minutes later, capitalising on Joao Felix’s blocked shot that fell into his path to find the bottom corner once again.

Mike Maignan was called into action to make a sensational 90th-minute save to protect Milan’s lead, diving quickly to the ground to parry Nicolo Cambiaghi’s shot.

Gimenez sealed both the win and a fine performance with a stoppage-time goal from inside the box.

The win lifts Milan to eighth in Serie A on 60 points, three behind fourth-placed Juventus, which faces sixth-placed Lazio, with both side on 63 points, on Sunday (AEST).

Bologna, meanwhile, suffered a blow to its top-four hopes as it now sits in seventh with 62 points.

This clash also served as a thrilling dress rehearsal for next week's Coppa Italia final, where the two sides will meet again at Stadio Olimpico.

Sergio Conceicao urged his AC Milan players to keep their feet firmly on the ground ahead of that match next week and take lessons from this match.

"From [Sunday AEST], we will start preparing for the Coppa Italia. We have to learn from what we did and did not do, as there were negatives and positives tonight," Conceicao said.

"I expect differences to both teams, but this is a final, sometimes the side that doesn’t play the best football ends up winning."

A victory in the Coppa Italia final would see Milan win a second trophy under Conceicao this season.

Yet the Portuguese, who took over in December, is the subject of much speculation as to whether he will remain in post for next season.

"I am accustomed to certain things. This is not the moment to talk about me. At the right moment, I will speak," Conceicao said.

Bologna coach Vincenzo Italiano, meanwhile, was left frustrated after his side's collapse, with all of Milan's goals coming in the final 20 minutes.

"We were in control of the game, had chances to score a second goal, but there was a 15-minute blackout that I cannot explain," Italiano told said.

"It was the worst 15 minutes I’d seen from my team in a long while, but otherwise we played with character and could’ve added more goals.

"We will analyse this, because on Wednesday we need a different approach from those who came off the bench, as I liked the way we started."