Vincenzo Montella's side could only earn a
scrappy 1-1 draw at relegation-threatened Crotone
on Sunday.
After a damaging defeat at home to lowly Empoli
last week, Milan were looking for a timely three-
points against 18th-placed Crotone at Stadio Ezio
Scida.
However, the strugglers took the lead after just
seven minutes when Marcello Trotta pounced on a
scramble in the Milan box to fire home his first
goal in six months.
Gabriel Paletta bundled in an equaliser shortly after
the break, applying the final touch on the line after
chaos in the Crotone penalty area.
But Milan - who had Juraj Kucka sent off deep into
injury time - could not go on to find a crucial
winner and they are five points adrift of fifth-placed
Atalanta and just three ahead of city rivals Inter,
who host Napoli later on Sunday.
Crotone, who saw two goals ruled out against
Trotta one of which was seemingly marginally
wrong, were impressive but they are still four
points from safety despite making it five matches
unbeaten.
Crotone beat Inter in their last home game and they
almost took the lead in the second minute when
Andrea Barberis' free-kick was expertly saved high
to his right by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Donnarumma could do nothing about Crotone's
opener after just seven minutes, though.
Trotta had not scored since October but, after Milan
struggled to clear, he shrugged off Cristian Zapata
and thumped in a low finish that beat an unsighted
Donnarumma at his near post.
The forward headed wide after 17 minutes as
Crotone continued to impress, before an incorrect
offside flag denied Crotone a second when Trotta
ran on to Diego Falcinelli's pass to score.
Gianluca Lapadula hit Milan's first shot after 36
minutes but it was blocked, while Crotone
goalkeeper Alex Cordaz parried a pair of Suso
efforts as the visitors tried to find some momentum.
More slack Milan defending presented Trotta with
another chance shortly after half-time, but
Donnarumma got down to his left to make a fine
save.
Milan came from behind to beat Crotone at San
Siro earlier in the season and they levelled the
scores after 49 minutes in ugly fashion, with
Kucka's header across goal somehow bundled
across the line by Paletta.
Aleandro Rosi had to clear Lapadula's effort off the
line after Cordaz was caught out of position, before
the offside flag denied Trotta a second time,
although this time the decision was more clear cut.
Kucka forced a fine save from Cordaz after 61
minutes as Milan pressed for a winner, then the
goalkeeper dived to his left to keep out a fierce
Gerard Deulofeu effort.
Trotta lashed wide on a rare Crotone second-half
attack before Milan's Kucka saw red for a second
yellow card deep - his third of the season - in
stoppage-time, with Montella's men now facing an
uphill task to secure European football for next
season.
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