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Milan out of title race |
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Palermo boosted their chances of Champions League football next season with a comfortable victory over AC Milan in an entertaining match at the Stadio Renzo Barbera.
Cesare Bovo and Abel Hernandez put the hosts two goals up within 18 minutes as the hosts got off to a flyer.
Clarence Seedorf grabbed a goal back for the Rossoneri 10 minutes into the second half but Fabrizio Miccoli wrapped up the points with a stunning strike in the 68th minute.
Palermo move into fourth, a point above Sampdoria who travel to Serie A leaders Roma tomorrow, while Milan remain in third six points further ahead.
The defeat made it three games without a win for Leonardo's stuttering side, but at least the travelling fans witnessed some exciting football from their team and some end-to-end action in an open game in Sicily.
The hosts started brightly and took the lead in the ninth minute when Milan failed to mark Bovo at the far post and the defender lashed in a corner.
Palermo doubled their lead nine minutes later as Hernandez snatched the ball from Massimo Oddo's feet and drove it into the bottom left corner from the edge of the Rossoneri box.
That sparked Milan into life and they could have grabbed one back in the 25th minutes when Klaas-Jan Huntelaar turned on the edge of the area and unleashed a low shot which Palermo goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu just managed to keep out.
Sirigu pulled off an even better stop on the half-hour mark to deny Seedorf from close range and capped that seconds later by tipping over Andrea Pirlo's fierce swerving drive.
Milan goalkeeper Nelson Dida was equally busy at the other end, stopping Miccoli's 20-yard effort to keep the Rossoneri in the game.
The visitors should have grabbed one back two minutes from the break but Sirigu denied them once again as he kept out a brilliant 25-yard effort from Huntelaar.
It could have been all over shortly after the restart when Miccoli tried his luck from distance but the Palermo captain saw his effort fly wide of the left upright.
The Rossoneri seemed to be gaining in confidence and Gennaro Gattuso headed inches wide from 10 yards in the 54th minute following a great cross by Pirlo.
Milan did not have to wait long for their goal and seconds later they deservedly got back into the game when Seedorf lashed the ball home following an assist from Ronaldinho.
That only seemed to strengthen Palermo's resolve and the hosts restored their two-goal advantage in the 68th minute when Miccoli curled in a wonderful shot from a tight angle on the left of the Milan area.
Palermo could have extended their advantage in the 75th minute as Dida was forced into great save to keep out Javier Pastore's close-range effort after Fabio Liverani's chipped ball had picked out the Argentina midfielder in a great position.
Milan had the ball in the back of the net two minutes later but Filippo Inzaghi was rightly judged offside despite the veteran's protests.
Inzaghi should have scored legitimately 10 minutes from time after another moment of magic from Ronaldinho set him up perfectly, but the 36-year-old fired wide from close range.
Palermo had two late chances to put the game well and truly beyond Milan's reach as Dida twice denied Edison Cavani.
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