AC MILAN beat Genoa to go top of Serie A despite playing the last seven minutes of their match with striker Olivier Giroud in goal as both teams’ goalkeepers were sent off.
With Milan out of substitutes, Giroud put on the gloves after keeper Mike Maignan was sent off in the ninth minute of added time.
Christian Pulisic had scored the game’s only goal in the 87th minute.
Genoa’s keeper Josep Martinez was given a second yellow in the 113th minute.
Martinez, who had been booked for timewasting with the score goalless in the 86th minute, caught Yunus Musah with a rash challenge having come up for a late attacking corner.
Maignan, who will miss Milan’s next match with Juventus, was shown a straight red after the video assistant referee adjudged he had caught Caleb Ekuban outside of the box.
With Milan needing a hero, up stepped Frenchman Giroud who even made a brave late save to help his side go two points clear at the top of Serie A, ahead of rivals Inter Milan in second.
Inter had squandered a two-goal lead in a 2-2 draw at home to Bologna earlier on Saturday.
Franceso Acerbi gave Inter an 11th-minute lead with Lautaro Martinez adding a second two minutes later, the Argentine’s 10th league goal of the season.
But Bologna’s Riccardo Orsolini halved the deficit from the spot in the first half, before Joshua Zirkzee netted an equaliser after 52 minutes
Elsewhere, Juventus beat 2-0 Torino in the Turin derby with Federico Gatti and Arkadiusz Milik netting in the second half.
Juventus’ win means they moved up to third in the table, four points off top spot.
