Milan's Nightmare at San Siro: Loftus-Cheek Stretchered Off in Heart-Stopping Parma Upset
AC Milan fell 1-0 to Parma at San Siro, with Rúben Loftus-Cheek hospitalized after a nasty head clash early on. Mariano Troilo's late header sealed the upset, widening the gap to leaders Inter Milan to 10 points. Parma grab three in a row, while Milan lick wounds from back-to-back home disappointments.
Milan's Day Turns Sour Early
Imagine the San Siro humming with hope, AC Milan desperate to claw back ground on their smug city rivals Inter. Ten minutes in, disaster strikes. Rúben Loftus-Cheek clashes heads with Parma keeper Edoardo Corvi on a routine cross, leaving the Englishman bloodied and wincing.
Medics swarm the pitch, slap on a neck brace, and wheel him off like he's auditioning for a hospital drama. Italian rags reckon he's nursing busted teeth and getting his noggin scanned for trauma. Ouch – that's not the sort of souvenir you want from a home game, mate.
Pulisic Back, But Parma Party Poopers
Christian Pulisic, the USMNT star, slotted back into the starting XI after a layoff, looking sharp as a tack. But for all Milan's huffing and puffing, they couldn't blow the visitors' door down. Enter Mariano Troilo, who rises like a salmon for a corner in the 80th minute.
Ref waves it away for a foul at first – cue Milan sighs of relief. Then VAR pipes up, goal stands, and Parma nick it 1-0. Talk about a plot twist! As Parma gaffer Carlos Cuesta put it post-match, thoughts with Loftus-Cheek – classy touch amid the chaos.
This marks Parma's third straight win, hoisting them comfy in 12th spot. Solid run for the Yellow-Blues, who must've pinched themselves pinching those three points at the San Siro.
Inter Laugh Last as Milan Slip Further
Milan rocked up eyeing a gap-closing win, sat 10 points adrift after Inter's stroll past Lecce – their seventh league W on the bounce. Instead, they gift-wrapped the points, now staring down an even steeper climb.
Fresh off a frustrating 1-1 draw with Como midweek at home, this loss piles on the pressure. Inter's cruising, Milan's creaking – title race? More like a procession for the Nerazzurri.
Loftus-Cheek, the ex-Chelsea powerhouse turned Milan midfield maestro at 30, now faces a spell on the sidelines. Fingers crossed it's not as grim as it looked. Milan fans, nursing their sorrows, will hope it's teeth and not the team's season that's truly shattered.
As reported by ESPN News Services from Milan, this one's got Rossoneri supporters muttering about curses. Next up, they need to regroup sharpish or watch Inter vanish over the horizon. What a way to spend a Sunday, eh?
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