Lazio simply dominated troubled Milan 4-0 and surged up the table to join Inter and Roma in third place, only one point behind the reigning champions, who are now 12 points adrift of leaders Napoli.
The Biancocelesti were still missing Ciro Immobile and left Manuel Lazzari on the bench, but the Rossoneri lost Theo Hernandez along with Mike Maignan, Fode Ballo-Toure, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alessandro Florenzi. It had been a rough couple of weeks for Stefano Pioli after back-to-back 2-2 Serie A draws, a Coppa Italia exit to 10-man Torino and Wednesday’s humiliating 3-0 Supercoppa Italiana defeat to Inter.
It took barely four minutes to break through, as Mattia Zaccagni got down the left and rolled across, Luis Alberto’s dummy let the pass through for Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to sweep into the near bottom corner first-time.
Sandro Tonali’s strike was straight at Ivan Provedel, but Fikayo Tomori limped off with a thigh problem and Ismael Bennacer was booked for kicking the ball away, so will be suspended against Sassuolo.
Zaccagni’s volley from a Milinkovic-Savic cross was deflected just wide and Pedro pulled back from the left just beyond Felipe Anderson sliding in.
Lazio did double their lead when Pedro threaded through for Adam Marusic, whose angled drive nutmegged Ciprian Tatarusanu to thump the base of the far post, ricocheting into the path of Zaccagni.
Milinkovic-Savic saw another strike deflected for a corner and Kjaer made a decisive block when Zaccagni was sent clear by the inspired Luis Alberto pass.
After the restart, Bennacer’s free kick was deflected inches wide of the near top corner by Milinkovic-Savic, but Luis Alberto was furious when the referee stopped play to book Kjaer rather than play the advantage with Lazio on the attack.
Rafael Leao’s rather hopeful effort was deflected for a corner, then Hysaj made a desperate block to prevent him meeting the Alexis Saelemaekers floated cross from six yards.
Hysaj intercepted a Milan pass in midfield and immediately sent Felipe Anderson down the left, he pulled back for Pedro, who got there much quicker than Pierre Kalulu and was brought down for the penalty. Luis Alberto blasted it into the roof of the net for 3-0.
Milinkovic-Savic threw himself in the path of a Charles De Ketelaere curler, but Lazio added a fourth with a quality team goal. Zaccagni got away from Calabria yet again and pulled back for Luis Alberto, whose beautiful disguised pass released Felipe Anderson to score from eight yards.
Ante Rebic tested Ivan Provedel with a touched-on free kick in the final minute and to make matters worse, Calabria was carried off in agony during stoppages after an accidental knock to the knee from Toma Basic.
Lazio 4-0 Milan
Milinkovic-Savic 4 (L), Zaccagni 38 (L), Luis Alberto pen 66 (L), Felipe Anderson 75 (L)