Luca Caldirola returned to haunt Inter as Monza snatched a stunning 1-0 win at San Siro, a result that means Simone Inzaghi's problems are deepening.

Defender Caldirola started his playing days at Inter but did not make the grade as a first-team regular, going on to have a journeyman career. However, a powerful header from the 32-year-old snatched all three points for Monza on Saturday, as Inter fluffed their big chance to go fourth in the table.

Milan's draw with Bologna earlier in the day had opened up that opportunity, but Inter's dismal run of form continued as Caldirola claimed the spotlight.

It is now one point from the last five league games for Inter, a desperate run at this crucial stage of the season.

Inter striker Romelu Lukaku headed wide from an excellent position early on, wasting a big chance, and there were to be several of those for the home side.

Joaquin Correa then combined neatly with Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Lukaku as he carved out a route into the Monza penalty area, but the Argentine forward was denied by Michele Di Gregorio's save.

It was Correa who was providing much of the early Inter threat, but the first half proved a largely drab affair.

Monza's Carlos Augusto fired into the side-netting as the visitors posed an early threat after the break, with Inter losing defender Stefan de Vrij to injury.

Nicolo Rovella also threatened for Monza with a long-range effort before Inter's Lukaku had a header clawed away by Di Gregorio.

Correa sent a shot narrowly wide, and Lukaku fired fractionally over the bar as the hosts pushed for a breakthrough, yet Dany Mota went equally close for Monza with a left-footed strike that went just too high.

Monza stunned their hosts in the 78th minute when Caldirola stomped through a crowd to head in Patrick Ciurria's left-wing corner, and Inter could not find a way back to level terms.

Stefano Pioli credited his Milan players for their efforts in a "perfect week" after Junior Messias' goal guided them to victory at Monza.

Messias' well-taken volley ensured Milan secured a third 1-0 win in the space of eight days, having previously gone seven games without winning across all competitions. 

While that run left Milan's Scudetto defence in tatters, the Rossoneri are third in the Serie A table after keeping three clean sheets in a row for the first time since a run of seven ended last April.

Having seen Milan build on Tuesday's Champions League last-16 victory against Tottenham, Pioli hailed his team's powers of recovery and challenged them to kick on.

"It was the perfect week, we can start over from here," Pioli said at his post-match press conference. "We haven't even conceded a goal and we're on the right track. 

"We needed to regain unity, the difference now isn't tactics but the desire we've regained to win, to compete for the second balls. 

"Monza were brilliant in the second half but we fought until the end and this is important. It's a shame we didn't finish the game in the second half."

Milan have now won back-to-back Serie A games for the first time since the Italian top flight restarted after the World Cup, having only tasted victory twice in their previous five league contests.

Pioli's decision to switch to a three-man backline has provoked Milan's revival, with wing-backs Messias and Theo Hernandez impressing once again at Monza.

Asked about Milan's change of system, Pioli said: "We'll go back to playing with four when we find the right characteristics. 

"Malik Thiaw gives us physicality and the possibility of duelling with physical forwards. The other players also have the characteristics to play in a three."

Milan climbed into Serie A's top four as Junior Messias secured a 1-0 win at Monza, whose owner Silvio Berlusconi failed to get one over on his old club.

Messias fired home on the turn just after the half-hour mark after Monza – who entered the game as Serie A's only unbeaten team in 2023 – twice went close in a fast start to Saturday's match.

Monza played their part in a lively affair but were unable to give Berlusconi – who bankrolled Milan to five European crowns – a result to cherish against his beloved Rossoneri.

Milan were able to claim victory without calling on Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the first time this season, with the striker again an unused substitute as they moved above Atalanta and Roma into third place.

Ciprian Tatarusanu was forced into action twice in the first two minutes, turning Patrick Ciurria's attempt away at the near post before denying Andrea Petagna from the resulting corner.

Rafael Leao saw a dipping 25-yard strike brush the post as Milan played their way into the game, while Michele Di Gregorio made two sharp saves to keep out Brahim Diaz and Fikayo Tomori.

Di Gregorio was finally beaten 31 minutes in, however, getting a hand to Messias' powerful left-footed volley but failing to stop the ball from finding the bottom-right corner.

Ciurria drilled a 20-yard effort against the foot of the post with 17 minutes remaining, but Milan stood firm and almost added a second through Charles De Ketelaere. 

Stefano Pioli set Milan the target of securing a top-four finish in Serie A as he declared himself satisfied with the Rossoneri's response to a dire run of form.

Milan went seven games without a win across all competitions recently, losing three successive league matches before stopping the rot against Torino last Friday.

The Rossoneri then built on that victory with a 1-0 win in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Tottenham, with Spurs failing to respond to Brahim Diaz's early header.

Having been heavily criticised for his tactical switches during Milan's poor run, Pioli has been vindicated by those victories, although he maintains they have work to do to secure a top-four finish.

"Everyone experiences the results with their gut; we have to be impervious to both criticism and excessive praise," Pioli said at a press conference to preview Saturday's trip to Monza.

"It's the league season that gives us the concrete possibility of playing in the Champions League again next year. I've seen the things I wanted to see.

"We're coming from two very good games, and we're trying to win tomorrow. The next game will tell how the team is doing, against a team that is doing very well and playing very well."

Milan are still waiting for the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was an unused substitute for last week's win against Torino after recovering from anterior cruciate ligament surgery.

The 41-year-old striker was absent from the matchday squad for Tuesday's win over Spurs but is available to face Monza, although the form of Olivier Giroud means Pioli has a decision to make.

"The more [Ibrahimovic] trains, the more his condition increases. He'll be available tomorrow, too," Pioli said.

"Giroud is doing very well, [Divock] Origi is doing well, too, and tomorrow I'll see what choices to make."

Saturday's game will see Milan reunited with former owner Silvio Berlusconi, who has overseen Monza's dramatic rise to the top flight since purchasing the club in 2018.

The 86-year-old recently declared Portugal international Rafael Leao should be used in a central striking role by Milan, and Pioli was in no mood to argue with him.

"I always agree with Berlusconi," Pioli smiled. "Always." 

Massimiliano Allegri said Juventus "never had a first half like" their poor showing against Monza on Sunday.

The Bianconeri went in 2-0 down to the visitors at the break and were unable to turn it around in the second-half as Raffaele Palladino's men completed a league double over them.

Goals from Patrick Ciurria and Dany Mota were enough for Monza to secure a 2-0 win at Allianz Stadium, following their 1-0 win against Juve earlier in the season in Palladino's first game in charge.

Monza became only the second team ever to win both their first two games against Juventus in Serie A, after Inter in 1930.

Speaking to the media after the defeat, Allegri said: "I'm angry, we can't concede goals like that. We've never had a first half like today.

"We have to think about working on the field... we need to examine our conscience and start playing with intent again."

It was the latest setback for Juve after being hit with a 15-point deduction in Serie A related to previous transfer dealings, and Allegri was left in no doubt how much work there is to do to rescue their season.

"Reality says that we have 23 points, so we still have to win many more," he said. "This is reality, and if we don't look at it, we'll get hurt. 

"We are all responsible for the performance... In [our last] three games [in the league] we won just one point and conceded 10 goals.

"We facilitated the Monza goals, they came out with disarming ease. You can't allow them to get into the defence like we did. They got through us too easily.

"We didn't have any reactions... The last few performances were not up to par, when you lose you have to lose in another way, [though] there was a different attitude in the second half."

Two first-half goals for Monza proved enough to give them their second win of the season against Juventus to add to the Bianconeri's problems.

Patrick Ciurria and Dany Mota struck for Raffaele Palladino's men as they secured a 2-0 win at Allianz Stadium on Sunday to follow up their 1-0 win earlier in the season in Palladino's first game in charge.

Juve only beat Monza 2-1 in the Coppa Italia 10 days prior but struggled to deal with their energetic visitors here, as they had done in their defeat at Stadio Brianteo in the reverse league fixture in September.

It is a further blow to Juve's hopes of Champions League qualification following their 15-point penalty related to the club's transfer dealings imposed earlier this month.

Monza were denied the lead when Gianluca Caprari's strike was ruled out for offside after a VAR check, but they were not made to wait long to rectify that as Ciurria raced onto a pass from Jose Machin before firing into the roof of the net in the 18th minute.

It was two for the visitors six minutes before half-time as Carlos Augusto went on a mazy run through the Juve defence before feeding Mota, who rounded Wojciech Szczesny and finished calmly.

Massimiliano Allegri opted to bring Arkadiusz Milik on for Moise Kean early in the second half as the hosts looked to find a way back into the game, and Michele Di Gregorio did well to keep out a fierce effort from the Pole.

The 25-year-old stopper produced his finest save of the game in the 74th minute when he tipped an Angel Di Maria effort from long range wide when it had been arrowing towards to top corner of his goal.

Gleison Bremer had a goal disallowed with just over 10 minutes remaining as Juve toiled and ultimately failed to get back into the contest.

Massimiliano Allegri has too much going on with Juventus in the aftermath of their points deduction to worry about his future, according to the Bianconeri coach.

Juventus, then third in Serie A, were deducted 15 points last week following an investigation into the club's past transfer dealings.

They have always denied any wrongdoing and hope the sanctions will be overturned on appeal.

But Juve slipped to 10th before a 3-3 draw with Atalanta and will kick off against Monza on Sunday in 11th. Monza could overtake their opponents with a win.

Allegri was asked on Saturday if he had spoken to owner John Elkann about a contract renewal, but his attention is on matters on the field.

"I spoke to Elkann but not about this," Allegri said. "He asked me how the team is doing.

"Right now there are so many things to do, we need to stay focused on the league without losing sight of it. We have four months with goals to achieve."

Allegri is trying to keep his players focused, too, keen to maintain the belief that saw them earn 38 points on the pitch – even if they have only 23 in the standings.

"We have to be isolated from everything; we are asked to go on the pitch and win games," he said.

"We must be focused on what we have done so far. We must have revenge on our minds against Monza because we have taken only a point in the last two games regardless of external problems.

"There is a strong club. We think about making the results and reinforcing our ranking, which is 38 points. From that, we must move forward.

"We finished the first round [of the season]; now we have another 19 games. From tomorrow, we must try to score as many points as possible."

He added: "We scored 38 points. If you say otherwise, you can lose certainties; the team scored 38 points on the field.

"We have to work on the basis of that ranking there, then if they give [the points back] to us or not, there is a strong club that works to defend itself.

"We have to defend ourselves on the field – and indeed attack, because we have to score points."

Juventus will be able to call on Paul Pogba for the first time this season against Monza, with Dusan Vlahovic also fit again, though Weston McKennie is set to leave the club.

Pogba returned to Juve from Manchester United at the start of the season, having previously signed for the Bianconeri after leaving Old Trafford the first time in 2012.

But France's World Cup-winning midfielder sustained a knee injury in pre-season and later required surgery, missing the entire season so far and Qatar 2022.

Finally, on Saturday, coach Massimiliano Allegri was able to confirm Pogba's imminent return to action, while Vlahovic is also set to feature for the first time since the World Cup following a groin complaint.

He added of the pair's status ahead of Juve's home match against Monza: "They're fine. They did good [in] training, a good test the other day.

"Vlahovic's condition is better than Pogba's, also just as a physical structure, but Paul in recent days has come ahead.

"If a player is called up, he can play. Of course, they don't have 60 minutes in their legs, they'll have 30 at most."

Mattia De Sciglio will also be available to Allegri, but Leonardo Bonucci requires more time to recover his injured adductor.

Juan Cuadrado and Federico Chiesa, who is fatigued, will both miss the Monza game before returning to the fold against Lazio in midweek.

McKennie is another who will be absent this weekend, and Allegri does not expect the United States midfielder to return to Juve as a deal has been struck with a suitor, said to be Leeds United.

"There is an agreement between the clubs, then I don't know if it will go through," Allegri said.

"He's a player on the market, so it doesn't seem right and normal to bring him [for this game]."

Federico Chiesa has vowed to make an impact for Juventus after a "horrible year" that saw him sidelined with a long-term injury.

The Italy international scored the winner in a 2-1 Coppa Italia victory against Monza on Thursday, his first goal in 378 days after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament 12 months ago.

Juventus have endured a turbulent spell in Chiesa's absence, ceding their Serie A crown to Milan and finding themselves adrift of runaway leaders Napoli this time around, as well as exiting the Champions League in the group stage.

Like the Bianconeri, Chiesa has a point to prove on his return and is pushing to aid his colleagues after being helpless amid their struggles in the past year.

"It has been a horrible year for me. I am now focusing on training and getting back into shape," he told Sport Mediaset.

"Let's say I need to get really into shape, getting used to playing every three days. I was not used to it, but I am trying to give my all to help my teammates, seeing as I was unable to help them for a year."

Chiesa's goal gave Juve a much-needed victory following a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Napoli last time out but, while it was a positive result, he admitted better performances are required.

"I think against Napoli we played very badly, we weren't aggressive enough, and I have to congratulate Monza as well for their performance tonight," he added.

"However, we defended well, were aggressive when they reached the edge of the area and know we can always score goals at the other end, but we definitely need to play better.

"As I said, we need to raise the bar. Atalanta will be a fundamental game for us to get back to the track we were on before Napoli."

Improvements are not just limited to the field, however, with significant changes in the club's hierarchy after president Andrea Agnelli, vice-president Pavel Nedved and other directors stepped down from their roles on Wednesday.

Chiesa feels the club is united in pursuit of their goals, as they bid for a successful second half of the season.

"Along with the new owners we will try to take Juve back to where the club deserves to be. We do our job on the field, the club does its off it."

Juventus claimed their spot in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals with a 2-1 win over Monza thanks to Federico Chiesa's sublime strike.

Chiesa, a second-half substitute in Thursday's clash at the Allianz Stadium, curled in off the post with 12 minutes remaining.

Moise Kean had given Juve an early lead but his effort was cancelled out by Mattia Valoti.

Kean saw what he thought would be a winner disallowed for offside, but Chiesa struck just after to settle the tie.

Nicolo Fagioli spurned a glorious chance for Juve in the opening moments but that miss mattered little as Kean headed Weston McKennie's cross into the far corner in the eighth minute.

Against the run of play, Valoti struck his third goal in as many Coppa Italia rounds to restore parity – Mattia Perin only able to push the forward's header into the roof of the net.

Juve's youngsters responded well, Samuel Iling-Junior firing wide and Matias Soule forcing a diving save from Cragno, but the hosts could not retake the lead before the break.

Kean came close to a second four minutes after the restart, bounding forward into the area, though Cragno was again on hand for Monza.

Juve had the ball in the back of the net after Danilo's shot deflected off Pablo Mari and against the crossbar, with Kean heading the rebound home, only for the offside flag to cut his celebrations short. 

The pressure finally told in the 78th minute, with Chiesa finding room down the left-hand side of the box and curling an effort in off the right-hand post.

Simone Inzaghi was left "very angry" after Inter had a third goal chalked off before conceding a late equaliser against Monza in their 2-2 draw on Saturday.

After Matteo Darmian's early opener was pegged back by Patrick Ciurria, Lautaro Martinez seized upon a Pablo Mari error to put Inter back ahead and seemingly on course for victory.

But with the score 2-1, referee Juan Luca Sacchi blew for a foul as a free-kick was swung into the Monza box, which Francesco Acerbi nodded in, for a contentious Roberto Gagliardini push.

With a goal that likely would have killed the game off ruled out, Inter suffered late heartbreak as Luca Caldirola scored in the 93rd minute to snatch a point for Raffaele Palladino's side and deny the Nerazzurri a fourth straight Serie A victory.

Inzaghi was fuming after the match, believing the referee's early whistle cost his side all three points as they missed the chance to move within five points of leaders Napoli, ahead of the Partenopei's visit to Sampdoria on Sunday.

"I'm very angry at what I saw," Inzaghi told reporters. "Unfortunately, after five years of VAR, there was an error that penalised us.

"A clear mistake on Acerbi's goal, there are two Monza players who fell between them. It's a huge disappointment on our part.

"I complimented Palladino, [but] without that mistake we would have won the match."

Romelu Lukaku impressed for Inter as they ended Napoli's unbeaten start to the season on Wednesday, but Inzaghi opted to start Martinez alongside Edin Dzeko up top against Monza, over the Belgium international.

With Lukaku struggling for fitness, Inzaghi is unsure when the striker will be back to his best, saying: "Time will tell, he's training in the best possible way.

"He had a very good first half with Napoli, today it was difficult. We'll do the analysis tomorrow when we'll be more rested."

Asked whether he felt Inter sat back too much late in the game, inviting Monza on, Inzaghi replied: "In the first half we conceded little or nothing.

"There are always difficult opponents, Monza are organised and have excellent players.

"Without what we've seen [Acerbi's disallowed goal], there wouldn't have been this question.

"Now we start again. It's normal that there is huge disappointment on everyone's part."

Inter missed the chance for a fourth straight Serie A victory as Luca Caldirola's late equaliser snatched a 2-2 draw for Monza on Saturday.

Simone Inzaghi's men ended leaders Napoli's unbeaten start to the season on Wednesday, and they got off to a great start at U-Power Stadium as Matteo Darmian fired in from Alessandro Bastoni's cross.

Ater Patrick Ciurria superbly levelled, Lautaro Martinez looked to have earned Inter victory when he took advantage of Pablo Mari's error to smash his side 2-1 ahead.

However, substitute Caldirola nodded home in the 93rd minute to spark jubilant celebrations from the hosts and deny Inter all three points.

Pablo Mari has returned to training with Monza less than two months after being hospitalised following a stabbing attack.

The on-loan Arsenal defender was one of five people injured in the incident, which took place at a supermarket near Milan in late October, while a cashier named Luis Fernando Ruggieri died.

Monza initially said Mari was expected to be out of action for two months, and the 29-year-old appears on course to recover within that timeframe after returning to training.

On Wednesday, Monza took to social media to post images of Mari with the ball at his feet, alongside the caption: "Look who's back".

Mari was welcomed onto the pitch at Monza's home Serie A fixture against Verona last month, a game the Silvio Berlusconi-owned side won 2-0.

Monza sit 14th in the Serie A table after 15 games and will resume their campaign with a trip to Fiorentina on January 4.

Monza and Bologna will observe a minute's silence before Monday's Serie A game to remember the man killed in a stabbing attack that left Pablo Mari injured.

Home side Monza will also wear special shirts bearing the message 'Come back soon, Pablo', ahead of their clash with the Rossoblu.

Mari, on loan to Monza from Arsenal, was one of five people injured in the incident near Milan on Thursday, in which a suspect was disarmed by onlookers and subsequently arrested.

A shop cashier named Luis Fernando Ruggieri died in the attack, and Monza have since sent condolences to his family.

Mari was visited in hospital by Monza chief executive Adriano Galliani and head coach Raffaele Palladino before undergoing back surgery on Friday.

The centre-back, who said he felt "lucky" to be alive after the attack in Assago, was discharged from hospital on Sunday and will reportedly be out of action for around three months.

Palladino revealed Monza originally considered requesting a postponement of Monday's match following the news, but then said the side were motivated to play, declaring: "Our duty is to play and go on the pitch and give everything for our team-mate."

Monza said in a statement on Sunday: "Before the kick-off of Monza-Bologna, a minute of silence will be observed at the U-Power Stadium to remember Luis Fernando Ruggieri, victim of Assago's insane attack.

"Furthermore, in the pre-match warm-up, the red and white players will wear a special T-shirt dedicated to Pablo Mari."

Pablo Mari has been discharged from hospital three days after the on-loan Monza defender was stabbed in a supermarket.

The Spanish centre-back, who joined Monza from Arsenal on a season-long loan deal in August, underwent back surgery after he was attacked near Milan on Thursday.

One person died and Mari was among five who were injured in a terrifying incident, with a suspect arrested after being disarmed.

Mari said he felt lucky to be alive, and the 29-year-old was on Sunday allowed to continue his recovery at home as he faces being out for at least two months.

A statement from Serie A club Monza said: "Pablo Mari was discharged from the hospital this morning, returned home and now begins a period of absolute rest.

"AC Monza sincerely thanks Professor Osvaldo Chiara and all the professionals of the Trauma Center of the Niguarda Hospital in Milan.

"Pablo, we are waiting for you!"

Monza head coach Raffaele Palladino has said Mari's team-mates will be playing for him when they face Bologna on Monday.

"It's not that we didn't want to play. The first news shook the whole group, and it's normal that we were shocked," head coach Palladino said when asked about not postponing the game.

"Initially we thought about a postponement, but the team reacted well, especially when they learned that Pablo was out of danger.

"A bad week, but at the same time beautiful. Pablo Mari is a miracle worker. Our duty is to play and go on the pitch and give everything also for our team-mate. We have no regrets over not postponing."