Maurizio Sarri has aired his frustration over the consistent speculation on Lazio's Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and his future, amid frequent links with a move to Serie A rivals Juventus.

The Serbia international has been one of the form players of the campaign in the Italian top flight, with three goals and six assists for a total of nine involvements so far this term.

That form has not gone unnoticed, and Milinkovic-Savic has been subsequently mooted as a major transfer target, with La Gazetto dello Sport running a splash page on a potential Bianconeri switch.

It is not the first time the playmaker has been the subject of intense speculation, but the feverish nature has irked Sarri now, who believes too much hyperbole is being spun about his player.

"I think there is too much noise around him," he stated ahead of his side's UEFA Europe League clash with Sturm Graz.

"The day after our 4-0 win [over Fiorentina] a paper put his name on their front page [about] transfers.

"Milinkovic-Savic, he has room for improvement. You can see that from how many balls he loses."

Lazio's president Claudio Lotito previously warned potential suitors that  Milinkovic-Savic would cost a minimum of €120million for any interested party to pry him away from the capital.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has not agreed a January move to Juventus, according to Lazio owner Claudio Lotito.

The Serbian midfielder has impressed this season with three goals and seven assists in his nine Serie A games, helping Maurizio Sarri's side climb to third. 

Such form is said to have piqued the interest of Juventus, with reports suggesting the Bianconeri will plan to offer up to €60million, including bonuses.

But Lotito told Il Messaggero: "I have no agreement with his agent [Mateja] Kezman to sell him to Juventus or anyone else in the winter.

"On the contrary, he is now worth €120m, not €100m. Every month the price goes up."

The transfer talk emerged after Lazio's convincing 4-0 win against Fiorentina on Tuesday, with Milinkovic-Savic adding to his tally with two more assists.

When asked about the performance, Lotito said: "I am satisfied with the spirit I saw again. As I have already said, if we continue with this attitude, we will not set ourselves limits and we can go far."
 
Lazio face Austrian side Sturm Graz in the Europa League on Thursday before Sunday's league fixture against fourth-place Udinese.

Manchester United are joining Milan in the chase for midfielder Davide Frattesi, with Sassuolo reportedly willing to cash in on him if their asking price is met.

Frattesi, 23, burst onto the scene this past season after returning from three consecutive loan stints in Serie B, earning 35 league starts before taking a step forward this term with three goals in nine games.

His rapid ascension earned him his first senior international cap for Italy in June, and he has since started in big Nations League fixtures against Germany and England.

There was a belief he could leave the club this past transfer window, when Sassuolo also sold Gianluca Scamacca to West Ham, but his continued improvement means he could be gone in January.

TOP STORY – UNITED PONDER MOVE FOR SASSUOLO'S FRATTESI

According to Calciomercato, United sent scouts to Sassuolo to get a closer look at the six-foot tall midfielder, and were told he could be available for a price of €35million.

United may find that a bit rich after recent reports their financial position will only allow them to make a move for one of Jude Bellingham or Frenkie de Jong, but they could receive a cash injection of their own if they are to part ways with 23-year-old defender Diogo Dalot. Calciomercato also claims Dalot wishes to leave the club, and Juventus have a strong interest in him. 

Frattesi's contract ties him to the Serie A side until 2026, giving them all the leverage in the negotiation, and with Milan's interest already established, that price tag may not be an unreasonable demand.

ROUND-UP

– Gazzetta dello Sport are reporting Juventus are preparing a January move for Lazio's Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who will only have 18 months remaining on his contract.

– After reportedly turning down a bid of €60m from Paris Saint-Germain in the most recent transfer window, Tuttosport now claims Inter will accept a bid in the range of €25m for centre-back Milan Skriniar in January, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season.

– Sky Sport's Florian Plettenberg believes PSV forward Cody Gakpo has no interest in joining Leeds United, who are said to have launched a move for him on deadline day, and will instead hold out for a bigger move.

– According to Record, Tottenham are keen on signing 21-year-old Sporting midfielder Manuel Ugarte, although his price is believed to be set at €80m.

– The Athletic are reporting Erling Haaland has a €200m release clause in his Manchester City contract that can be activated by any team outside of England as soon as 2024.

Massimiliano Allegri insists he will not walk away from Juventus despite their dismal campaign hitting a new low with Tuesday's shock Champions League loss at Maccabi Haifa.

Juventus were unable to respond to Omer Atzili's first-half double as the Israeli outfit claimed a famous 2-0 win over the Bianconeri, turning up the pressure on Allegri.

Juventus are already 10 points off the pace on the domestic front after winning just three of their nine Serie A games this season, and their latest European reverse represents a severe blow to their hopes of progression.

With Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica sharing a 1-1 draw later on Tuesday, Juventus are five points adrift of the duo with just two games remaining in Group H.

With Allegri leading the Bianconeri to three defeats in their first four Champions League group games for the first time ever, chairman Andrea Agnelli was forced to deny the coach would be fired in the immediate aftermath of the loss.

Speaking to Sky Sports shortly thereafter, Allegri was adamant he remained up for the fight, saying: "I have never thought about resigning. 

"When a challenge becomes more difficult, it becomes even more beautiful. You have to come out with courage, desire and passion."

While Agnelli looked to absolve Allegri of blame after the defeat, he said he was "ashamed" of Juventus' display, and the head coach concurred.

"Agnelli is absolutely right," Allegri said. "It was one of the worst first halves we have done. It is not right to make a performance like that.

"We had the wrong attitude from the start. This match is difficult to explain, we just need to be silent. 

"The performance was not up to par, especially from a character point of view. We just have to keep quiet, work and get out of this situation."

Juventus' next fixture sees them face Torino in the Derby della Mole on Saturday, and Allegri revealed the side will bunker down at their Continassa training ground until that crucial game.

"Tomorrow, we return and until the derby we will all stay in Continassa," he added. "This is a duty we have towards the club, the fans and above all, ourselves."

Andrea Agnelli was "ashamed" of Juventus' performance in their shock defeat to Maccabi Haifa, but Massimiliano Allegri still has the club's backing.

Juve slipped to a 2-0 defeat in Israel on Tuesday, leaving their chances of progressing from Champions League Group H hanging by a thread.

Maccabi's win ended a run of nine consecutive Champions League defeats and was just their third triumph in the competition, with the other two coming in the 2002-03 season.

Juve, meanwhile, have lost four of their last six group games in the competition, as many defeats as they had suffered in their previous 34 matches. This was the first time they have lost three of their first four group games in a single campaign.

But Allegri retains the support of Agnelli, who insisted the coach cannot be blamed for Juve's issues.

"This is a difficult night in a difficult period. It is one of the most difficult periods and the moment to take responsibility, which is why I am here," said Agnelli to Sky Sport after the match.

"In a situation like this, it's not about one person. It's a matter to be dealt with by a whole group. We feel ashamed, we apologise to our fans, because we know they must feel ashamed to walk around at the moment.

"Allegri is the coach of Juventus, and he will remain as the coach of Juventus."

Asked if Allegri was keeping his role just because of the financial implications of sacking him, Agnelli replied: "No, you are completely off track.

"It cannot be the fault of the coach if we don't win a single tackle on the field.

"Juventus have always evaluated situations at the end of the year. I always struggled to consider a dismissal during a season, and I continue to believe that."

Having taken 13 points from their opening nine Serie A matches, Juve are 10 adrift of pacesetters Napoli, while the Bianconeri have won just two of their nine games in all competitions since the start of September.

Juventus' hopes of progressing to the Champions League last 16 suffered a massive blow as they were stunned 2-0 by Maccabi Haifa. 

The Bianconeri went into their third Group H encounter trailing pacesetters Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica by four points.

And their deficit to at least one of that duo will grow after they were outplayed by the Israeli champions on Tuesday at Sammy Ofer Stadium.

Omer Atzili's first-half double was the difference, but the margin of victory could have been greater for Maccabi as they claimed a famous win that will increase the scrutiny on under-fire Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri.

Frantzdy Pierrot had Wojciech Szczesny scrambling to make a diving save in the fourth minute, but the goalkeeper could do nothing to deny the hosts soon after when Atzili flicked home Pierre Cornud's left-wing cross.

Tjaronn Chery then struck the top of the crossbar with a free-kick before Atzili forced Szczesny into action once more at the end of a rapid counter-attack as Maccabi continued to pile pressure on Juve.

That pressure told again in stunning fashion just before half-time, Pierrot laying off for Atzili to shape a superb finish into the top-right corner after Juve had been dispossessed in their own half.

Juve eventually threatened a response, but Joshua Cohen was equal to Dusan Vlahovic's header to preserve Maccabi's two-goal advantage at the break.

Having replaced the injured Angel Di Maria with Arkadiusz Milik in the first half, Allegri threw on Filip Kostic and Manuel Locatelli at the start of the second half.

But neither had the desired impact as Maccabi hung on with relative comfort to leave Allegri's men facing the legitimate prospect of a group-stage exit.

Adrien Rabiot is unsure about his future as he tries to "drag" Juventus back into form following a poor start to the season.

Rabiot's contract expires at the end of the season and there appears to be no sign of him signing a new one.

The France midfielder was linked with Manchester United during the last transfer window, but a deal reportedly fell through before the Red Devils signed Casemiro from Real Madrid.

Juve are eighth in Serie A after a 2-0 defeat to champions Milan at San Siro on Saturday and face a battle to qualify for the Champions League round of 16, with the pressure on head coach Massimiliano Allegri.

The Bianconeri got up and running in Group H by beating Maccabi Haifa last week to sit four points behind Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica, Rabiot scoring twice in a 3-1 victory.

Rabiot says his focus is on turning Juve's fortunes around ahead of the return fixture against Maccabi at Sammy Ofer Stadium on Tuesday.

"I feel important for the team, but I think we all are," he said. "Everyone has an important role. Right now I feel good, I'm trying to drag the team and do my best to help my team-mates.

"I don't know about the future. There are other things to think about now. I'm focused on the pitch, getting out of this difficult moment. Then we'll see what happens."

The former PSG man says it is difficult to explain why the Turin giants have failed to live up to expectations so far this season.

He added: "We are always talking, even when we win. If I had known what was wrong it would have been easy.

"We have to solve the problems on the pitch, we have a good group. We work well in training and we must try to do what we do in training then in the match."

Massimiliano Allegri is "a complete coach" who has the ability to turn Juventus' season around, according to midfielder Adrien Rabiot.

Experienced coach Allegri won 11 trophies in his first five-season spell with Juve, but he is under intense pressure a year and a half on from returning to the Allianz Stadium.

Juventus finished fourth in Serie A last season and ended the campaign trophy-less for the first time since the 2010-11 campaign.

The Bianconeri have started this season slow, too, with Saturday's 2-0 loss to rivals Milan leaving them eighth in the table and already 10 points off top spot after nine matches.

But speaking ahead of Juve's Champions League tie with Maccabi Haifa on Tuesday, Rabiot gave his backing to the under-fire coach.

"Allegri is a strong coach," Rabiot, who has started seven matches in all competitions this season, said at Monday's pre-match press conference.

"He knows how to manage the team, both on the pitch and off it. Not everyone can do that. To me, he is a complete coach, on and off the pitch."

Juve appeared to have turned a corner with back-to-back wins over Bologna and Haifa, but their loss at San Siro was considered a backward step by Allegri.

They realistically require a victory in Israel if they are to remain in contention for the knockout stages as they trail PSG and Benfica by four points after three matches.

"We have a chance to return to the pitch quickly," Allegri told reporters. "The previous two wins [before Milan defeat] were misleading and we need to be realistic.

"This is a path we must take. We are facing strong teams, but we know we can't make certain errors and must avoid making the same mistakes we've made all season.

"We are aware of the importance of tomorrow's match and must fight for every ball, as well as doing the simple things.

"We will put in all our love and passion that Juventus deserves, but we must do more if we are to regain some confidence and return to our previous level."

Juventus have won all three of their Champions League matches against Haifa, who are on a nine-game losing run in the competition.

However, Juve are winless in three away Champions League matches and risk losing multiple away games in a single group stage for the first time since the 2014-15 season.

"It's going to be a tough game," Allegri said. "They showed good things here and played well against PSG. We must be careful, we can't commit the same mistakes again.

"We must improve and be more solid, which is the easiest and most obvious thing to do. Details make the difference, even just one centimetre. We need attention and passion."

Real Madrid and Manchester City could qualify for the Champions League round of 16 by maintaining their 100 per cent records on Tuesday.

Madrid travel to Shakhtar Donetsk sitting pretty at the top of Group F and the holders will be guaranteed to progress if they make it four wins out of four.

The same goes for free-scoring City, who have been victorious in all three Group G games and will be expected to get the better of Copenhagen at Parken.

Borussia Dortmund could also advance if they beat Sevilla again, while Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica meet in the battle of the top two in Group H.

Milan will look to exact revenge on Chelsea at San Siro, while Group E leaders Salzburg travel to Dinamo Zagreb.

Stats Perform preview the eight matches to be staged on Tuesday by picking out the standout Opta data.

Shakhtar Donetsk v Real Madrid

After beating Madrid home and away in the Champions League in 2020-21, Shakhtar have lost three consecutive matches against the holders - the latest being a 2-1 defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu last week.

There have been 14 goals in the previous three matches between the two sides in Donetsk, Madrid scoring nine of those.

Carlo Ancelotti's side are on a five-game winning streak in the Champions League, a run that began with a 3-1 victory over City in the second leg of last season's semi-final. They last had a longer winning streak in the competition between April 2014 and February 2015 - a run of 10 straight victories.

Among teams to have featured in the Champions League in every season since 2018-19, Shakhtar have the lowest win percentage of any side in that period (18.5 per cent - 5/27).

Copenhagen v Manchester City

City hammered Copenhagen 5-0 last week. Their best combined record against an opponent in a single Champions League campaign is 9-0 versus Shakhtar in 2018-19.

Copenhagen have only lost one of their 13 home games in the group stage of the Champions League (W6 D6), that defeat coming against Real Madrid in December 2013.

English teams are winless in their last two visits to Denmark in the Champions League, with Liverpool drawing 1-1 with Midtjylland in December 2020 and Leicester City drawing 0-0 with Copenhagen in November 2016. 

Erling Haaland has 28 goals in 22 Champions League appearances. His next strike in the competition will see him equal the goal tallies of David Trezeguet (58 games), Roy Makaay (61 games) and Patrick Kluivert (71 games).

Paris Saint-Germain v Benfica

PSG have hosted Benfica on three previous occasions in European competition, with the Ligue 1 champions beating them 2-1 in the UEFA Cup in 2007, 3-0 in the Champions League nine years ago and drawing 1-1 in the Europa League in 2011.

No Portuguese side has ever won away at PSG in European competition. They have suffered five defeats and drawn twice, with all three Champions League contests won by PSG.

PSG could equal their longest winning streak of six consecutive home victories in the competition. Their last run of six wins in a row in Europe's premier club competition ended in November 2014. 

Benfica are unbeaten in four Champions League away games (W2 D2), their longest run without defeat on the road in the competition.

Milan v Chelsea

Milan are winless in five meetings against Chelsea in Europe (D3 L2) since winning the very first match between the two sides in the Fairs Cup in February 1966. 

The Serie A champions only had four shots in a 3-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge last week. Since Opta have had this data available for the Champions League, the Blues have only faced fewer in a game in the competition twice - versus Malmo in October 2021 (two) and Galatasaray in March 2014 (three).

The Rossoneri have lost four of the last five games when hosting an English team in the Champions League, with their only victory coming against Arsenal in February 2012 (4-0). The only previous time they hosted Chelsea in the competition was in a 1-1 draw in October 1999.

Milan's former Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori has initiated more sequences of play than any other player in the Champions League this season, with the centre-back regaining possession for his side 47 times in three games.

Other fixtures:

Borussia Dortmund v Sevilla

273 - Sevilla have gone 273 minutes without scoring away from home in the Champions League, having failed to net in their previous three matches. 

4 - Only Haaland (5) has been directly involved in more goals than Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham in the Champions League this season (3 goals, 1 assist). 

Maccabi Haifa v Juventus

3 - Maccabi have lost all three of their matches against Juventus - home and away in the group stage of the Champions League in 2009-10, and again last week in Turin.

5 - Juve have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their past five matches in the Champions League. That is their longest run without a clean sheet since a run of eight games between April and December in 2013.

Celtic v RB Leipzig

6 - Celtic have lost six consecutive home games in the Champions League. If they lose this match, they would equal the longest run of home defeats by a team in the competition, previously set by Monaco between May 2017 and December 2018.

9 - Christopher Nkunku scored his ninth Champions League goal for Leipzig against Celtic last week, equalling Emil Forsberg's tally for the most goals for the club in the competition. Since the start of last season, only four players have more Champions League group-stage goals than him (8).

Dinamo Zagreb v Salzburg

3 - Dinamo have lost all three of their major European matches against Salzburg, losing twice in the 2014-15 Europa League and 1-0 to the Group E leaders last week.

23 - Salzburg's starting XI has had an average aged of 23 years and 36 days in the Champions League this season, the youngest of any side. The average of 22 years and 336 days in their 1-0 win over Dinamo was the third-youngest by a winning team in a Champions League match; the two younger were in 2004-05 in the reverse fixtures between Ajax (22y 300d) and Maccabi Tel Aviv (22y 213d).

Manchester City's incredible squad depth means some players may be tempted away despite their success.

Among those is centre-back Nathan Ake, who has only managed 30 Premier League appearances since his move to Etihad Stadium in 2020, although he has made five starts this term.

The 29-cap Netherlands international joined City for a reported £41million fee from Bournemouth.

TOP STORY – INTER PLOT MOVE FOR CITY'S AKE

Inter are trying to lure Manchester City defender Nathan Ake to Serie A, claims Ekrem Konur.

The 27-year-old Dutchman has been on City's books since 2020, joining on a five-year contract.

Inter may be looking for reinforcements for their defensive stocks, with uncertainty over Milan Skriniar's future.

ROUND-UP

– Paris Saint-Germain will move again for Inter defender Skriniar in January, reports ESPN. Skriniar is in the final year of his Inter contract and may be available for a cut-price fee.

– Liverpool have joined Juventus and Napoli in having an interest in 21-year-old Rennes winger Jeremy Doku, according to Calciomercato.

– Chelsea are monitoring teenage Villarreal midfielder Yeremy Pino, potentially in the event of Mason Mount leaving the club, claims The Telegraph.

– Football Insider reports Gabriel Martinelli and Arsenal are in talks over a new deal, with the Brazilian's existing contract set to expire in 2024.

– Arsenal are interested in 23-year-old Club Brugge forward Ferran Jutgla, claims Todofichajes.

Cristiano Ronaldo reached another milestone as he scored his 700th goal in club football during Manchester United's Premier League clash with Everton on Sunday.

Ronaldo hit the latest landmark of his glittering career after coming on as a first-half substitute for the injured Anthony Martial, racing onto a ball from Casemiro before firing past Jordan Pickford to give United a 2-1 lead at Goodison Park.

The Portugal captain has struggled to find his best form this season and this was just the second goal of a campaign in which he has been starved of regular game time, having netted his 699th club strike from the penalty spot during a 2-0 Europa League victory over Sheriff on September 15.

He had failed to score in eight games before then, his longest run without a goal in all competitions at club level since a run of 10 matches between March and May 2006.

The 37-year-old, who has also scored a record 117 international goals, has now taken his overall tally for United to 144 across two spells at Old Trafford, adding to a combined tally of 556 from his time at Sporting CP, Real Madrid and Juventus.

Ronaldo's 700 goals, club by club

Ronaldo's most prolific spell came at Madrid, where he scored an incredible 450 goals in 438 appearances to become Los Blancos' all-time leading marksman.

His best individual season also came with Madrid, netting 61 times from an expected goals (xG) value of 47.9 in 54 games across all competitions in 2014-15. In that campaign, Ronaldo registered the best minutes-per-goal ratio (76.1) of any player from Europe's top five leagues to have scored at least 10 across all fronts.

Across his nine-year stint in the Spanish capital, Ronaldo hit the 60-goal mark twice (2011-12, 2014-15), with his lowest-scoring campaign coming in the 2009-10 season, his first at the club. He still managed 33 goals in 35 appearances.

Prior to becoming a legend at Madrid, Ronaldo of course made his mark at United. His best season in England was in 2007-08, when he scored 42 times across all competitions.

Playing predominantly as a winger for Alex Ferguson, and dovetailing with the likes of Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney, Ronaldo left United in 2009 having found the net on 118 occasions for the club, having previously scored five times for Sporting.

His time at Juve did not yield the Champions League title he was bought to help the Bianconeri win, though they still won Serie A twice, and the Coppa Italia. Ronaldo plundered 101 goals in 134 matches during his three years in Italy, averaging one every 114 minutes.

Ronaldo made a flying start back in England last year, scoring twice on his second United debut against Newcastle United. Though he went on to score a further 22 times across all competitions, the Red Devils could only manage a sixth-placed finish.

Cristiano Ronaldo's future at Manchester United remains uncertain after he reportedly tried to leave in the offseason.

The Portugal great has struggled to break into United's starting XI in the Premier League this term.

And Ronaldo cut a frustrated figure in United's 3-2 win over Omonia Nicosia in the Europa League on Thursday.

TOP STORY – MLS CLUB TO OFFER RONALDO A WAY OUT

David Beckham-owned MLS club Inter Miami are set to offer Cristiano Ronaldo a way out of Manchester United with a contract worth £30million per year, reports The Daily Star.

Ronaldo, who is a regular visitor to Florida, could make the move in January, with Phil Neville's Miami planning to replace Gonzalo Higuain, who announced his retirement last week.

One stumbling block, however, is that the deal is on the condition Ronaldo joins Inter on a free transfer, with United - who insisted on a fee when clubs enquired in the last transfer window - seemingly content to retain him for now.

ROUND-UP

– The Mirror claims Leeds United have agreed personal terms with PSV's Cody Gakpo, beating Manchester United in the pursuit for the 23-year-old Dutch forward. Leeds still need to thrash out a transfer fee with PSV for Gakpo to move in January.

– Paris Saint-Germain have joined the long list of clubs pursuing Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk reports Fichajes. Arsenal, Newcastle United and Real Madrid are also keen on him.

– PSG are also chasing a deal for Adrien Rabiot who is set to exit Juventus when his contract expires in mid-2023, according to Fichajes.

– El Nacional claims Real Madrid are interested in Benfica's 18-year-old centre-back Antonio Silva. Manchester United are also monitoring the Portuguese stopper.

– Manchester United's Diogo Dalot is being considered by Barcelona, who need to bolster their right-back options, reports Sport.

Massimiliano Allegri accepts the only way Juventus can turn around their season is to approach big matches with less fear after going down 2-0 to Milan on Saturday.

Juve's recent upturn in results, in which they had picked up their first back-to-back wins of the season against Bologna and Maccabi Haifa, came to a halt at San Siro.

Fikayo Tomori's opener late in the first half was added to early in the second by Brahim Diaz, who ran half the length of the pitch before firing past Wojciech Szczesny.

Eighth-place Juve are at risk of dropping into the bottom half on Sunday depending on results elsewhere, having collected just 13 points from their opening nine matches.
 
And Allegri, who has come under fire for his tactics this season, accepts his side have taken a step backwards with their performance against his old club Milan.

"After tonight's game, there is little for me to say," he told DAZN. "We are in a moment where we seemed to be out of the negative period with these two victories.

"But we fell for it again. It's a pity, as we did well for the first 20-25 minutes, then got deeper and deeper without even being forced into it.

"We made a lot of misplaced passes and inevitably you pay for that."

The defeat was Allegri's first against a Stefano Pioli-coached side in the 17th encounter between the pair in the Italian top flight.

It leaves Juve winless in their opening four away league matches for just the second time in their past 40 campaigns, the other instance coming in the 1993-94 season.

Asked if his side are struggling physically this season, as vice-president Pavel Nedved suggested ahead of the game, Allegri said: "I think it's psychological, too. 

"It's not easy at the moment. We dropped a lot of points against the lower-mid table teams, then in these big clashes we needed more confidence."

Juve were not happy Tomori's goal was allowed to stand due to what they felt was a foul from Theo Hernandez on Juan Cuadrado in the build-up to the corner he scored from.

Diaz's second was also preventable, with the Milan forward collecting a stray Dusan Vlahovic pass, knocking the ball past a couple of players and charging through on goal.

Milan had earlier twice hit the post through Rafael Leao with the scoreline level, and finished the game with an expected goals (xG) return of 2.35, compared to Juve's 0.75.

That suggests a huge gulf in quality on the day, and Allegri has demanded an improvement in Tuesday's Champions League tie with Maccabi Haifa.

"It's unfortunate we conceded from our own mistakes on both goals," Allegri said. "We need to stay calm, roll our sleeves up and go to Haifa with the mental strength to win.

"It is strange because at a certain point we just stopped playing and started to back down. After Leao hit the post, we started going backwards. 

"There are also some passes that are just impossible to get wrong. It's not as if two good games can resolve all the problems. 

"It was five against three on some of our attacks; we need to score goals in those situations. We've got to be more determined in the challenges and shake off our fear.

"If we don't do that we won't have the balance to go far this season. If we shake off the fear, we can turn things around.

"When you pass the ball backwards, the other side will push forward and don’t even need to press you that hard. We need to work on that and improve."

Fikayo Tomori joked he does not purposely reserve all of his goals for Milan's clashes with Juventus after netting again in the famous fixture to help his side to a 2-0 win.

The England international opened the scoring from a few yards out in Saturday's Serie A contest after inadvertently blocking a goal-bound Olivier Giroud volley.

That was Tomori's second league goal for Milan, with the other coming in a 3-0 victory for the Rossoneri against the same opposition in May 2021.

Among players to have scored 100 per cent of their Serie A goals against Juve, Tomori is one of three to have scored more than once, alongside Luigi Carello and Francesco Duzioni.

Brahim Diaz added a second goal for Milan with a superb solo effort that started inside his own half, and Tomori says picking up all three points means more than his own rare strike.

Asked about his record against Juve, Tomori told DAZN: "It's not on purpose! Every game against Juve is important. I'm happy to score, but the most important thing is getting the three points.

"I was a little fortunate with the goal, but I'm happy with it, the clean sheet and the victory. We had a bit more determination and will try to win on Tuesday [against Chelsea]."

Tomori is one of three English players to have scored more than one goal against Juventus in Serie A, the others being Gerald Hitchens (three) and Tammy Abraham (two).

Juve were unhappy the opener stood due to what they felt was a foul by Theo Hernandez on Juan Cuadrado in the build-up to the corner that led to the goal, but VAR could not intervene as it was a separate phase of play.

Diaz's strike early in the second half ensured a straightforward victory for Milan, who join Napoli and Atalanta – both of whom are in action on Sunday – at the top of Serie A on 20 points.

Saturday's victory marked a return to winning ways for Milan on the back of a 3-0 loss at Chelsea in Wednesday's Champions League meeting, but Stefano Pioli's side have a chance for revenge when they reconvene at San Siro next week.

"Today's match was very intense," Pioli said. "We made too many misplaced passes in the opening 20 minutes.

"We worked as a team today, whereas unfortunately we lost our shape in London and got too intimidated by our own mistakes and the strength of the opponent. We know that if we work together, we can get positive results.

"The reason we didn't do well in London is because we were not aggressive enough and we made too many unforced errors without needing Chelsea to be aggressive in their press against us.

"This was a very important game in Serie A, as it always is between Milan and Juventus, so we had the right attitude from the start."

Brahim Diaz netted a delightful individual goal after Fikayo Tomori had scored a contentious opener as Milan beat rivals Juventus 2-0 at San Siro.

Spain international Diaz charged towards the Juve goal after picking up the ball in his own half to double the home side's lead early in the second half of Saturday's Serie A clash.

That came after Tomori had made the breakthrough in first-half stoppage time, though Juventus felt there was a foul in the build-up to the corner from which the defender scored.

Despite being without a number of key men, including goalkeeper Mike Maignan, Milan saw out the win to inflict fresh pain on their former head coach Massimiliano Allegri.

Rafael Leao clipped the right-hand post with a back-heel flick with 20 minutes played and hit the other post soon after, this time with a powerful drive from outside the box.

Milan took the lead before the interval through Tomori, who got in the way of Olivier Giroud's goal-bound shot but turned the loose ball past Wojciech Szczesny from a few yards.

Juve were unhappy the goal stood due to a strong challenge from Theo Hernandez on Juan Cuadrado, but VAR could not intervene as it happened in a previous phase of play.

Diaz doubled Milan's lead as he intercepted a Dusan Vlahovic pass a few yards inside his own half, knocked the ball past a couple of Juve defenders and powerfully fired home.

What does it mean? Juve winning run halted as Rossoneri rise

Milan were poor in their midweek Champions League loss to Chelsea – a second defeat in three games in all competitions – but they responded well against Juventus.

The Rossoneri move level on points with pacesetters Napoli and Atalanta, who are both in action on Sunday, with this their sixth win in nine league outings this season.

As for Juve, they have failed to win any of their opening four Serie A away games for only the second time in the past 40 seasons and could drop into the bottom half on Sunday.

Diaz doubles up

Juve's defending for Diaz's goal was atrocious, from Vlahovic's loose pass to Leonardo Bonucci's failed attempt at a foul and then Szczesny's weak hand at the end of it.

Diaz is one of the three Spanish players to have scored more than one Serie A goal against Juventus, along with Jose Callejon and ex-Inter player Luis Suarez (three each).

Dusan's San Siro struggles

Not only did Vlahovic gift the ball to Diaz for his goal, the Serbia international also failed to have any sort of impact on the game in an attacking sense.

He failed to have a single shot and is now scoreless in four games at San Siro – only at Sassuolo's Mapei Stadium (four) has he played as many Serie A games without scoring.

What's next?

Both sides switch focus back to the Champions League on Tuesday, with Milan at home to Chelsea and Juventus away at Maccabi Haifa.