AC Milan sent out a strong message in the Serie A title race with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over AS Roma, ending the visitors’ impressive run of six consecutive away wins in all competitions.

In a matchup between two of Italy’s heavyweights, both sides sought to assert their championship credentials. Roma, buoyed by their fine form on the road, started brightly and looked the more threatening early on.

Bryan Cristante came close to opening the scoring with a mazy solo effort, while Evan Ndicka narrowly failed to connect with Matías Soulé’s dangerous cross. Milan struggled to contain Roma’s early momentum, and Paulo Dybala squandered a good opportunity by firing wide from inside the box.

However, the Giallorossi were punished for their first-half wastefulness. Against the run of play, Rafael Leão led a lightning counterattack before unselfishly squaring for Strahinja Pavlović, who slotted home coolly to give Milan the lead. Moments before halftime, Youssouf Fofana missed a golden chance to double the advantage, dragging his shot wide from close range.

After the interval, the Rossoneri seized control of the contest. Samuele Ricci went close with a volley, while Mile Svilar produced a string of fine saves to keep Roma in the game — first denying Leão, then seeing a deflected corner rebound off the post. Moments later, Mario Hermoso cleared Leão’s effort off the line after further saves from Svilar to frustrate Milan’s attack.

Roma were handed a lifeline when Lorenzo Pellegrini’s free-kick struck Fofana’s arm, prompting referee Marco Guida to award a penalty. But Mike Maignan stood firm, diving to his left to superbly deny Dybala and preserve Milan’s narrow lead.

Despite late pressure from the visitors, Pavlović’s first-half strike proved decisive, as Massimiliano Allegri’s men extended their unbeaten run to 10 matches (W7, D3) across all competitions, climbing to third in the table.

Roma, meanwhile, slipped to fourth place after suffering their first away defeat of the season — a frustrating end to a strong run of form.