Serie A : Juventus beat AC Milan to keep pace with Inter

Juventus 4 - 2 AC Milan

Juventus kept their own title hopes alive while dealing a potentially fatal blow to those of AC Milan with a thrilling 4-2 victory at Turin's Stadio Olimpico on Sunday. Juve stayed six points behind leaders Inter Milan, who beat rock bottom Chievo by the same score earlier in the day. Milan, who finished with ten men after Gianluca Zambrotta was sent off on his return to his former club, are nine points back in fourth spot with the title slipping away.

Juve took the lead through an Alessandro Del Piero penalty after the striker was felled in the box by Marek Jankulovski. Milan hit back just after the half hour as Georgian centre-back Kakha Kaladze played in Ronaldinho on the left and he crossed for Pato to tap home. But Milan failed to stay on level terms for very long and centre-back Giorgio Chiellini was left free to head home a Del Piero corner.

Brazilian Amauri scored Juve's third goal just before the break after more poor Milan defending as no-one closed down Paolo De Ceglie on the left, allowing him to pick out Amauri's head with a pinpoint cross. Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati kept his side in it at the beginning of the second half, saving shots of Claudio Marchisio and Momo Sissoko.

Massimo Ambrosini scored Milan's second on 56 minutes with a deflected shot but any hopes the visitors had of claiming something from the game soon disappeared. Zambrotta was dimissed for a second booking on 65 minutes and four minutes later Amauri slotted in his second with a bobbled volley. Del Piero almost added a fifth but crashed his shot off the post with Abbiati well beaten.

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Inter Milan 4 - 2 Chievo

At the San Siro Inter looked to be coasting two minutes into the second-half when they led 2-0 but the Flying Pigs staged an unexpected fight-back to level things at 2-2 before Sweden forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic netted a late brace. That ensured Inter will go into the Serie A winter break in a week's time at the top of the standings.

Inter were off to a dream start on three minutes as Brazilian full-back Maxwell cantered down the left on the overlap, took a pass from Dejan Stankovic, cut inside and rifled a right-footed shot home. It was a similar story at the start of the second period as the champions fashioned a brilliant goal through Stankovic. The Serbian midfielder fed Maicon, who galloped down the right. He crossed into the box where Ibrahimovic's deft flick fell perfectly for Stankovic to fire home.

Leading 2-0 at home to the bottom side, Inter would have been expected to win easily but Chievo mounted a comeback. Sergio Pellessier started things off with a stunning shot from distance that gave Julio Cesar no chance in the Inter goal. San Siro was stunned into silence in the 65th minute as Andrea Mantovani got to the byline on Chievo's left and crossed for Simone Bentivoglio to bundle home from two yards out, courtesy of a deflection off Maxwell.

Mourinho did not waste much time in trying to kick-start his team, throwing on strikers Hernan Crespo and Mario Balotelli as well as winger Luis Figo. But it was Ibrahimovic who made the difference, rising highest to head home a cross from Maicon with 11 minutes left. Chievo's Santiago Morero was sent off for a second booking and then the Swede smashed home a stunning right foot shot two minutes from time.

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AS Roma 3 - 2 Cagliari

AS Roma won for the fifth match in a row to continue their recent resurgence with a come from behind 3-2 success at home to Cagliari.

Roma have been upwardly mobile since a disastrous start to the season in which they lost six of their first nine matches. They find themselves in the top half of the table for the first time this campaign. Things looked good as Francesco Totti put them in front but goals from Daniele Conti and Brazilian Jeda turned the match on its head before Simone Perrotta's acrobatic finish restored parity. Roma threw everything but the kitchen sink at Cagliari and Mirko Vucinic scored the winner in injury time after a scramble in the box. fifa

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Full results;

Bologna 5 - 2 Torino
Napoli 3 - 0 Lecce
AS Roma 3 - 2 Cagliari
Fiorentina 2 - 0 Catania
Genoa 1 - 1 Atalanta
Inter Milan 4 - 2 Chievo
Palermo 2 - 0 Siena
Reggina 0 - 2 Sampdoria
Udinese 3 - 3 Lazio
Juventus 4 - 2 AC Milan