AC Milan suffered a devastating blow in their Serie A title bid as Parma Calcio 1913 pulled off a stunning 1-0 victory at San Siro, ending the Rossoneri’s 24-match unbeaten league run and leaving them 10 points behind leaders Inter Milan.

Milan knew a win was essential, especially after Inter’s recent triumph over Lecce, but they were nearly rocked early on when Mateo Pellegrino’s first-time strike was deflected wide and Mike Maigan blocked the Argentine’s follow-up from the resulting corner.

The hosts’ afternoon went from bad to worse when Ruben Loftus-Cheek was stretchered off after a collision with Parma goalkeeper Edoardo Corvi. He was replaced by Ardon Jashari, whose tame shot was easily gathered by Corvi soon after entering the game. Milan began to show glimpses of attacking intent as Christian Pulisic and Jashari tested Corvi, though Pulisic scuffed a close-range chance from Adrien Rabiot’s header as a subdued first half drew to a close.

After the interval, Milan pressed for a breakthrough, but Corvi denied Rafael Leao brilliantly, with Mariano Troilo following up with a superb defensive block to thwart Pulisic. Leao’s frustration was evident when his sliding effort cannoned off the post, while Parma remained resolute. Strahinja Pavlovic’s headed chance from Davide Bartesaghi’s free-kick was one of the few promising openings for Milan but was squandered.

Parma struck the decisive blow when Troilo powered home a header from Emanuele Valeri’s corner. An initial VAR check suggested the goal might be overturned for an infringement, but referee Marco Piccinini’s decision was confirmed after review.

Milan nearly forced a late equalizer, with substitute Niclas Fullkrug flashing a stoppage-time effort wide, but Parma held on for a remarkable victory.

The defeat marks Milan’s second home league loss of the season, leaving their Scudetto hopes in serious jeopardy. Meanwhile, Parma produced a heroic display, claiming three consecutive top-flight wins for the first time since March 2014 and moving up three places to 12th in the Serie A standings.