After dropping out of the Serie A title contention, AC Milan is now anxiously looking over its shoulder at the teams below after a surprising 3-0 defeat at home against Udinese on Saturday.
Milan endured loud jeers from the crowd as they left the pitch following their third loss in four games.
The Rossoneri find themselves nine points adrift of league leaders Inter Milan, yet only six points clear of Juventus and Roma, who stand fifth and sixth, in the race for Champions League qualification.
With all their competitors set to play later in the weekend, a Juventus win over Atalanta could further tighten the gap.
Nicolò Zaniolo shone for Udinese at San Siro, initiating a counterattack from deep within his own half and skillfully maneuvering past a couple of challenges before passing to the right for Arthur Atta. Atta’s cross was deflected into the net by Davide Bartesaghi, marking an own goal for the young Milan defender.
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Moments later, Zaniolo provided a stunning cross from the right for Jurgen Ekkelenkamp’s header, which netted Udinese’s second goal in the 37th minute.
Before that, Keinan Davis had a shot tipped onto the crossbar by Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, and Bartesaghi was forced to clear another attempt off the line just before halftime.
By then, the boos had begun to echo around the stadium, with Milan receiving harsh criticism from supporters at the break.
Milan’s hopes of salvaging anything from the match were extinguished in the 71st minute when Atta scored Udinese’s third goal, skillfully feinting before calmly placing the ball into the bottom left corner.
Christian Pulisic, the American star, was substituted in the 72nd minute after failing to make a significant impact, extending his goal drought for both club and country to 16 matches.
This report includes contributions from The Associated Press.