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AC Milan climbed to the top of Serie A on Saturday night after a tense 1–0 win over Lazio, overshadowed by late controversy over a penalty denied at the San Siro.
Rafael Leao scored the only goal of a scrappy and often disjointed contest shortly after half-time, converting Fikayo Tomori’s driven low cross in the 51st minute for his sixth goal of the season.
The victory moved Milan one point clear of Roma, who face Napoli in a pivotal fixture on Sunday.
The match appeared to be drifting towards a routine conclusion until stoppage time, when Lazio were denied what they believed was a clear penalty for handball against Strahinja Pavlovic.
Referee Giuseppe Collu was summoned to the VAR monitor on the pitchside. Still, he was unable to review the footage for several minutes because of chaotic scenes in both technical areas and protests from Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri.
During the delay, Allegri was shown a red card for dissent. When Collu eventually reviewed the incident, he ruled not that Pavlovic had avoided handling the ball, but that Lazio’s Adam Marusic had committed a foul in the build-up.
The decision infuriated the visitors, who later refused to speak to the media in protest.
Allegri adopted a more restrained tone after the final whistle, insisting he had not insulted the match official.
“It wasn’t easy for the referee to make that decision after being called to the monitor,” he told Sky Sport.
The result ensures Milan will remain top unless Roma beat Napoli or the reigning champions win by at least two goals in Rome.
Goalkeeper Mike Maignan again played a decisive role, producing an outstanding early save to deny Mario Gila’s header moments after kick-off.
With Maignan’s contract set to expire at the end of the season, sporting director Igli Tare suggested before the match that talks over a new deal were progressing well.
Lazio remain eighth on 18 points after a fifth league defeat of the campaign, now five points adrift of Juventus in seventh.
Elsewhere, Kenan Yildiz inspired Juventus to a dramatic 2–1 home win against Cagliari with two fine goals.
The 20-year-old Turkish forward equalised in the 27th minute and then struck again in first-half stoppage time to secure Luciano Spalletti’s first home league victory as Juve manager.
“Yildiz has the qualities of a great player—he won the match almost on his own,” Spalletti said, praising the youngster’s ability to shine under pressure.
Juventus remain six points behind leaders Milan, while Spalletti now looks ahead to a fiery return to Napoli next weekend.
However, he may be without striker Dusan Vlahovic, who suffered a suspected thigh injury.
Earlier on Saturday, Daniele De Rossi claimed his first win in charge of Genoa, as his side fought back from behind to beat Verona 2–1 and move out of the relegation zone. A late goal from Morten Thorsby sealed Genoa’s first home victory since April.
