AC Milan dropped further points in their quest for a Champions League place as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Empoli at San Siro.
All of the major drama came in the second half as Milan had a penalty awarded that was eventually ruled out by VAR, and then Olivier Giroud thought that he had scored the winner off the bench before it was ruled out for offside.
After Inter conceded in the dying moments against Salernitana and with the other games to come this weekend it represents a blown opportunity to gain ground in the race for a top four spot.
Stefano Pioli made the rather bold decision to make five changes to the starting line-up that beat Napoli as Malick Thiaw, Alexis Saelemaekers, Tommaso Pobega, Ante Rebic and Divock Origi all came in, clearly with an eye on Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Napoli.
Milan were the first team to threaten and they did so inside the first couple of minutes when Davide Calabria got in position to cross near the byline and he did so, but his ball in fizzed across the face at crossbar height and evaded everyone.
Milan’s first big opportunity of the game came via a double chance in the 13th minute when Perisan made a good double save. Firstly he stopped Rebic who shot pretty much straight at him with an angled drive having been found in behind, then he thwarted Theo Hernandez on the follow-up after he beat his man and fired from a narrow angle.
The game then descended into a lull in which Empoli sat deep and attempted to frustrate Milan’s build-up play while trying to spring counter-attacks where possible, but it did not make for great viewing for the near sell-out crowd at San Siro.
With 10 minutes to go before the break there was a bit of panic when Saelemaekers crossed into the box and Ebuehi eventually cleared, and then Pobega hit a rocket of a shot that sailed over the bar from 25 yards out.
The biggest chance of the first half came inside the final six minutes as Tonali was found between the Empoli lines and managed to work some space to shot, but he tried to guide it into the far corner which made it easy for Perisan to read and save.
Rebic was once again found in space in behind by a ball from Fikayo Tomori over the top in the final minute of normal time, but he let the ball bounce and fired it wildly over the ball on the half-volley.
Within three minutes of the restart another cross from Milan’s right side caused a problem, this time it was Rebic who glanced a header wide of the far post from Calabria’s whipped delivery.
The pressure continued to come from the Rossoneri as a ball fell to Pobega on the edge of the box that Pobega drilled just wide via a deflection with Perisan rooted, and then Rebic provided a low cross that Origi couldn’t quite get hold of before it was frantically cleared.
Milan had two penalty shouts turned down in very quick succession as Theo went down just inside the box asking for a spot kick and then Saelemaekers saw a fierce shot blocked and was asking for a handball that wasn’t there.
Marcenaro did point to the spot in the 59th minute for what he adjudged to be a handball on Ebuehi as he went up for a header with Rebic that seemed to ricochet, and after VAR consultation it was rightly overturned.
A double change was made just after the hour mark as Calabria and Bennacer came off and were replaced by Alessandro Florenzi and Brahim Diaz.
The big guns came on with 20 minutes left as Origi and Rebic were withdrawn in place of Olivier Giroud and Rafael Leao.
In the 76th minute Milan came as close as they had all night when a cross from Leao on the left found its way to the far side of the box where Florenzi had got forward and hit it first time but the ball crashed into the post.
Milan had a chance on the break to open the scoring as they broke from an Empoli attack and Saelemaekers saw an attempted shot blocked into the path of Giroud, who fired from a narrow angle but was unable to get it past the blocks. Moments later, Saelemaekers was replaced by his compatriot Charles De Ketelaere.
A huge chance fell to Brahim Diaz inside the box as he almost snuck the ball under the goalkeeper from deep inside the box after getting behind the Empoli defence, and moments later Leao curled a cross/shot across goal that bent wide of the far post.
Milan thought that they had won the game in the final minute of normal time when Giroud bundled in a Florenzi cross, yet the goal was rightly ruled out for an obvious handball.
