Milan march on with win at lowly Cesena
Reuters - Sunday 19 February 2012, 22:08
Free-scoring AC Milan, 4-0 winners over
Arsenal in the Champions League last week, kept the goals
flowing with a 3-1 win at bottom club Cesena in Serie A on
Sunday.
Sulley Muntari, Urby Emanuelson and Robinho scored in a
half-hour spell for the champions and leaders before Daniel
Pudil reduced the arrears for the Sea Horses.
Lazio had defender Andre Dias and coach Edoardo Reja sent
off as they crashed 5-1 at Palermo, where five players shared
the goals for the hosts, and lost third place to Udinese who
drew 0-0 at home to Cagliari.
Fabio Borini gave AS Roma a 1-0 win over Parma in another
Sunday afternoon match while Chievo beat Genoa by the same
score. Novara and Atalanta played out a goalless stalemate.
Milan have 50 points from 24 games, one ahead of unbeaten
Juventus who briefly held the lead after their 3-1 win over
Catania on Saturday. Juve have a game in hand.
Roma's win took them up to fifth with 38 points, above
Napoli and Claudio Ranieri's Inter Milan who were thumped 3-0 at
home by Bologna on Friday.
Udinese, who ended a two-match losing streak, are third with
42 points, ahead of Lazio on goal difference.
Novara's draw gave them 17 points and took them off the
bottom of the table where they were replaced by Cesena.
Muntari, who joined Milan from arch-rivals Inter in January,
opened his account in the 29th minute, the Ghanaian from close
range after Thiago Silva's free-kick rebounded into his path.
Emanuelson added the second with a long-range effort as
Milan made light of an injury crisis which ruled out
Kevin-Prince Boateng, Alessandro Nesta and Alexandre Pato, and
the absence of suspended Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Robinho, partnering Maxi Lopez in attack, broke clear to add
the third 10 minutes after the restart before Pudil pulled one
back with a half-volley.
Lazio took an makeshift injury-hit team to Sicily and fell
behind after 10 minutes when Paraguay midfielder Edgar Barreto
scored from the edge of the area.
Massimo Donati also scored from the edge of the area 10
minutes later and Argentine defender Matias Silverstre headed
the third just before the break.
Igor Budan and Fabrizio Miccoli added two more within six
minutes of the restart and Lazio were in further disarray when
Dias was dismissed for a second bookable offence and coach Reja
was ordered from the touch-line.
Palermo appeared to ease off and Libor Kozak pulled one back
for Lazio with five minutes left.
Udinese faced unadventurous opponents and their best chance
came when Gelson Fernandes headed wide with the goal at his
mercy just before half-time.