AC Milan reduced the gap to Serie A leaders Inter to five points after securing a convincing 3-0 away victory over Bologna, extending their impressive unbeaten run to 22 matches (W14, D8).

With both Inter and Napoli claiming wins earlier in the weekend, the pressure was on Milan to respond. Bologna, meanwhile, entered the contest having managed just one victory in their previous 10 league outings (D3, L6), and were eager to improve on recent struggles.

Boosted by a midweek 3-0 UEFA Europa League triumph over Maccabi Tel Aviv, the hosts began brightly and registered a few early efforts on goal. However, Milan remained composed and patient, waiting for their opportunity.

That moment arrived midway through the first half. Christopher Nkunku’s diving header was parried by goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia into the path of Adrien Rabiot, who unselfishly squared for Ruben Loftus-Cheek to fire home and give the visitors the lead.

Milan tightened their grip on the match and doubled their advantage shortly before half-time. Nkunku was brought down in the penalty area by Ravaglia, and after a lengthy VAR review, the French forward calmly converted the resulting spot kick.

Any hopes of a Bologna comeback were dashed soon after the restart. A careless throw-in from Juan Miranda gifted possession to Rabiot, who nodded the ball into his own path before finishing clinically past Ravaglia to make it 3-0, adding a goal to his earlier assist.

With the result effectively sealed, Massimiliano Allegri made several substitutions to rest key players ahead of upcoming fixtures.

Bologna struggled to recover from the setback and slipped to a third consecutive league defeat, dealing a major blow to their ambitions of securing European qualification. Head coach Vincenzo Italiano will be concerned as his side continues to slide down the table.

For Milan, the victory further strengthens their title push. The Rossoneri have now suffered just one defeat in their last 20 visits to Bologna (W14, D5), underlining their dominance at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara.