That's how you lose Scudetto: lousy Milan rescue a point at home against Genoa

Another hysterical night at San Siro. Another bundle of "guaranteed" points thrown into the fire.

Milan drew 1-1 with Genoa, a result that hurts far more than it looks. The visitors led until stoppage time. They even had a last-minute penalty to win it - and missed. Two victories were lost in one chaotic evening.

Genoa are the latest "small" team to leave San Siro smiling. Cremonese did it. Sassuolo did it. Pisa did it. And now a relegation-battling Genoa were closer to victory than Milan themselves. Nine points dropped against outsiders - points Milan simply cannot afford if they want to stay in the Scudetto race with Inter and Napoli.

The Rossoneri had the ball, the territory, the pressure. What they didn't have was a killer.

Against a deep block, they look lost. With Leao and Pulisic as a makeshift strike pair, there was no penalty-box predator to break Genoa's bunker. So it was the centre-backs who were the biggest threat early on: Pavlovic once, Gabbia twice, all denied by a superb Nicola Leali, who had one of his best nights of the season.

And then Genoa struck.

A beautiful feint and pass from Malinovskyi, a simple finish from Lorenzo Colombo - a Milan academy product, now on loan, scoring against his own club. It was his fourth goal since arriving. One more, and a €10 million buy-option is triggered. Irony wrote the script.

Genoa dug in deeper. Milan pushed harder. Fofana even slipped with the goal wide open. Allegri threw everything on: changes, shape-shifts, attackers. Pulisic thought he had scored - VAR said handball.

The Rossoneri pounded the wall, mostly with corners and crosses. No space. No incision. Until stoppage time.

Sweet words and more money for Maignan’s new contract at Milan

From a Modric corner, Leao finally made it 1-1. San Siro exploded as Milan smelled a miracle.

Alas, disaster came.

In Genoa's very next attack, Ekhator burst forward and Bartesaghi brought down Alerston with a naive challenge. It was a penalty, and a match ball.

Nicola Stanciu stepped up, and froze terrified by Mike Maignan. The Romanian sent the ball flying over the bar as Genoa had thrown away victory for the second time in stoppage time.

Milan escaped, but only just, because now come challenging away trips to Fiorentina and Como. And if this habit of self-destruction continues, Milan may soon be out of the title race altogether.

SERIE A - MATCHDAY 19

Tuesday

Pisa - Como 0-3 (0-0)

/Perrone 68, Douvikas 76, 90+6 pen/

Lecce - Roma 0-2 (0-1)

/Ferguson 14, Dovbyk 71/

Sassuolo - Juventus 0-3 (0-1)

/Muharemovic 16 og, Miretti 62, David 63/

Wednesday

Bologna - Atalanta 0-2 (0-1)

/Krstovic 37, 60/

Napoli - Verona 2-2 (0-2)

/McTominay 54, Di Lorenzo 82 - Frese 16, Orban 28 pen/

Lazio - Fiorentina 2-2 (0-0)

/Cataldi 52, Pedro 90+5 (p) - Gosens 56, Gudmundsson 89 (p)

Parma - Inter 0-2 (0-1)

/Dimarco 42, Thuram 90+8/

Torino - Udinese 1-2 (0-0)

/Casadei 87 - Zaniolo 50, Ekkelenkamp 82/

Thursday

Cremonese - Cagliari 2-2 (2-0)

/Johnsen 4, Vardy 29 - Adopo 51, Trepy 88/

Milan - Genoa 1-1 (0-1)

/Leao 90+2 - Colombo 28/