Milan extend lead as Juve held in Serie A

Rome: AC Milan moved four points clear at the top of the Italian Serie A table with a 2-0 win over Lecce at home, while second-placed Juventus were held to a 0-0 draw at Genoa.

Antonio Nocerino scored an early goal in the seventh minute to set Milan on their way, before Zlatan Ibrahimovic sealed the win midway through the second half Sunday with a superb strike. Juventus` title hopes suffered another blow as they were held to their fourth successive Serie A draw by Genoa. Simone Pepe had a goal ruled out for a debatable offside decision, while Mirko Vucinic struck the woodwork twice as Juve sought to get back to winning ways. The visitors could find no way through, however, and their 14th draw of the season saw them slip to four points behind AC Milan. AC Milan head coach Massimiliano Allegri admitted that he was delighted at going four points clear at the top. "It was important for us to win today, as that would ensure the two-point advantage remained intact, but instead we have four points. There` s a long way to go," he said. Meanwhile, Lazio suffered a 1-3 loss to Bologna at home, while Novara upset Udinese 1-0. Catania all but assured their Serie A status with a narrow 1-0 victory over Fiorentina at the Angelo Massimino stadium. The result lifted Catania to eighth in the standings, just two points from the 40-point mark, a figure deemed sufficient to avoid relegation. Fiorentina, who were without the team`s top scorer Stevan Jovetic through injury, have dropped to 13th place. Bureau Report