After Napoli won earlier on Sunday, AC Milan were no longer all alone atop Serie A. Suddenly, they were in a tie with pesky Napoli and needed to win at Fiorentina later in the day if they wanted to regain sole possession of the top spot. The Rossoneri were playing without Antonio Cassano, who was suspended, but they had won six straight league matches over the Viola. Make that seven. First half goals by Clarence Seedorf and Alexandre Pato held up as the visitors went to Florence and came away 2-1 winners to move three points clear atop Serie A.
Fiorentina Vs. AC Milan: Rossoneri All Alone Up Top After 2-1 Win Over Fiorentina
Milan were dominant from the beginning and saw that dominance pay off in just the seventh minute. Zlatan Ibrahimovic played Seedorf in, only to have a sliding tackle knock the ball away. The ball was only knocked as far away as Pato though and with the defender still on the ground, Pato played Seedorf in. The veteran Seedorf only had to fire the ball into the net and Milan were ahead 1-0.
The rest of the half only confirmed the Rossoneri's dominance. The continued to threaten the Fiorentina goal, just missing the net a few times and three times being denied by fine Artur Boruc saves. Just before halftime though, Milan got the second goal that they surely deserved. Kevin-Prince Boateng, Ibrahimovic and Pato combined on a beautiful goal that began with Ibrahimoc drawing the defense before laying the ball out wide to Boateng. Boateng crossed low on the first touch right onto the foot of Pato who had a simple finish to put the visitors up 2-0.
The second half was a bit more level then the first, but Fiorentina never looked sure to score until right before they did. The Viola finally woke up their sleeping crowd with a bit of pressure that eventually resulted in an 80th minute goal. A rebound came right to Juan Manuel Vargas, who benefited from a slight deflection in beating a Christian Abiatti to give the Viola some hope.
That hope turned into legitimate optimism in the 85th minute when Ibrahimovic was shown a red card for something he said to the assistant referee. The action, not so out of the ordinary for Ibrahimovic, put Milan at a disadvantage, but it didn’t prove to be enough for Fiorentina to get the equalizer.
Fiorentina were already destined for a midtable finish, but this match had huge implications for Milan. Now, MIlan maintains their edge atop the league as they search for their first Serie A title since 2004.
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