Palermo 1 - 2 AC Milan: Gianluca Lapadula grabs AC Milan winner in Sicily

Posted Monday, November 07, 2016 by PA

Substitute Gianluca Lapadula grabbed his maiden AC Milan goal to earn the Rossoneri all three points from their trip to Palermo.

His 27 goals helped Pescara achieve promotion to the top flight last season but the Turin-born striker has struggled to make an impact for his new employers at San Siro.

After Suso gave Milan the lead in Sicily, Ilija Nestorovski set struggling Palermo on a path to their first point in five games, only for Lapadula to clinch a 2-1 triumph for his Scudetto-chasing club.

Milan fired an early warning to Palermo when Giacomo Bonaventura skipped past Thiago Cionek before blasting just wide of the target with his left boot.

Two minutes later the Rossoneri found their opener through Suso, who capitalised on a defensive mix-up between Josip Posavec and Haitam Aleesami to clip into an unguarded net.

Milan struggled to carve out further chances when play resumed following the break and their lack of incision allowed Palermo to make headway. In the 71st minute Alessandro Diamanti threaded the ball through for Nestorovski to power home beyond a flailing Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Milan then enjoyed two opportunities to restore their lead, with Posavec twice denying Suso his brace with a leap at a free-kick and a diving save to keep out the Spaniard's left-footed attempt.

However, it was Lapadula's time to shine and the half-Peruvian signed from Serie B in the summer opened his account for Milan after connecting with Suso's clever back-heel.