The Football Association has launched a swift investigation into the crowd trouble which marred the FA Cup derby between West Brom and Wolves.

Play at the Hawthorns was suspended for over half an hour due to disorder in the stands and fans spilling onto the pitch.

West Midlands Police said two people have been arrested.

An FA statement read: “The disorder that occurred at the Black Country derby between West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers is completely unacceptable.

“Safety and security are of the utmost importance, and the behaviour of those involved is dangerous and inexcusable.

“We will be investigating these serious incidents alongside the clubs and the relevant authorities, and the appropriate action will be taken.”

The stoppage came shortly after Matheus Cunha had struck to give Wolves a 2-0 lead in the 78th minute.

Police and security needed to rush to a corner of the ground supposedly holding home fans as the disturbance developed.

Some West Brom players were concerned for family members seated nearby and went into the stand to remove their children.

Referee Thomas Bramall eventually took the players from both teams back to the dressing rooms.

There had earlier been pockets of trouble in other parts of the ground.

Flares were thrown in the away section after Wolves opened the scoring in the first half and objects were also thrown at Wolves’ Tommy Doyle as he prepared to take a corner.

Play eventually resumed with just over 12 minutes of the game remaining.

West Midlands Police said: “We have extra officers at this local derby and they responded immediately as disorder in the stands caused fans to spill onto the pitch. Two people have been arrested for public order offences.

“We worked with officials to get the game restarted as soon as possible.”

Crowd trouble marred Wolves’ FA Cup victory over fierce Black Country rivals West Brom at The Hawthorns on Sunday.

The game was suspended for over half an hour after problems erupted soon after Matheus Cunha had fired the visitors into a 2-0 lead with 12 minutes remaining.

West Brom’s Kyle Bartley went into the crowd to take out his children amid the ugly scenes, which occurred in the corner of the West Stand and Birmingham Road End.

It was part of the ground which theoretically should have been holding solely home supporters but there was a lot of pushing and shoving, with some fans spilling onto the pitch.

Police and security rushed over to the area to quell the problems but it was a long time before order could be restored and both teams were taken back to the dressing rooms.

It was the first meeting between the clubs in front of supporters since 2012 and had been designated high risk, with security increased and the kick-off scheduled for 11.45am.

There had already been pockets of trouble with flares thrown towards the pitch by Wolves fans after Pedro Neto had opened the scoring in the 38th minute.

There were further problems when objects were thrown towards Wolves’ Tommy Doyle as he prepared to take a corner in the second half.

The incidents completely overshadowed what had been a hard-fought and absorbing fourth-round tie.

West Brom were dangerous on the break in the first half but failed to seriously trouble Jose Sa in the Wolves goal.

Wolves had plenty of possession but failed to create meaningful chances until breaking from a corner to take the lead in the latter stages of the first half.

Matt Doherty found space in the middle and released Neto, who cut inside from the right and fired a shot into the bottom corner after an ineffective challenge from John Swift.

West Brom tried to respond but Max Kilman blocked a Jed Wallace effort and Sa saved from Swift early in the second half.

The Baggies also appealed for a penalty after Brandon Thomas-Asante tangled in the area with Kilman but nothing was given and Thomas-Asante scooped a good chance over.

Tempers threatened to boil over after Bartley crudely blocked Cunha in an attempt to halt a Wolves attack.

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde curled an effort narrowly wide for Wolves and emotions did then spill over after Cunha raced onto a Kilman ball to fire the killer goal through Josh Griffiths’ legs.

It soon became apparent there was a serious problem in the stands as Wolves celebrated.

As the delay grew longer, referee Thomas Bramall took the players off the field and it was half an hour before they returned to warm up and restart the game.

The players went through the motions as they played out the closing stages of the game, Wolves holding on for their first win at the ground since 1996.

Play was suspended after trouble broke out in the stands during West Brom’s FA Cup derby against Wolves at The Hawthorns.

The stoppage came shortly after Matheus Cunha had struck to give Wolves a 2-0 lead over their Black Country rivals in the 78th minute.

Police and security needed to rush to a corner of the ground supposedly holding home fans as the disturbance developed, while the players were ushered off the pitch.

There appeared to be a lot of pushing and shoving in the stand.

Some West Brom players were concerned for family members seated nearby and went into the stand to remove their children.

Referee Thomas Bramall eventually took the players from both teams back to the dressing rooms.

There had earlier been pockets of trouble in other parts of the ground.

Flares were thrown in the away section after Wolves opened the scoring in the first half and objects were also thrown at Wolves’ Tommy Doyle as he prepared to take a corner.

Aberdeen have confirmed the signing of Killian Phillips on loan until the end of the season.

The 21-year-old midfielder joins the Dons from Crystal Palace after spending the first half of the season on loan with Wycombe in Sky Bet League One.

After beginning his career with Drogheda United, Phillips moved to Palace in January 2022 and made his senior debut in the Carabao Cup before going on loan to Shrewsbury last season.

Speaking about the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international, Aberdeen boss Barry Robson said: “I’m pleased to bring Killian to the club as he’s a player we’ve admired for some time.

“He’s energetic, hardworking and his strength of character is matched by his technical ability.

“He’s proven this season already that he’s capable given the number of games he has amassed.

“He’s put in some big performances, including a man of the match display, scoring for Ireland Under-21s against Italy.

“He’s very good in both boxes and will add a real versatility to our midfield options.

“He has the right mentality to fit into our squad and we look forward to working with him in the second half of the season.”

Phillips could make his debut against Dundee in the cinch Premiership on Tuesday night.

Maidstone pulled off one of the great FA Cup upsets on Saturday, beating Championship outfit Ipswich 2-1.

Sam Corne scored the winner in the 66th minute to knock the Tractor Boys out of the competition and send the National League South side into the fifth round.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some memorable FA Cup upsets.

Blyth Spartans 3 Stoke 2 (1978)

Another non-league fourth-round upset saw Northern League side Blyth Spartans hand Stoke an early exit.

Despite Terry Johnson’s early opener, Stoke pulled two goals back, but Steve Carney equalised and Johnson lashed home a winner at the death.

The win set up a fifth-round meeting with Wrexham, who beat them in a replay at St James’ Park.

Crawley 3 Leeds 0 (2021)

In their third-round tie, Marcelo Bielsa’s side were reeling from two goals inside three second-half minutes from Nick Tsaroulla and Ashley Nadesan before Jordan Tunnicliffe finished them off with 20 minutes remaining.

To rub salt in the wounds Crawley even handed a debut to reality TV star Mark Wright as a late substitute, but the only way was out of the cup for Leeds.

Hereford 2 Newcastle 1 (1972)

Southern League Hereford side had earned a 2-2 draw at St James’ Park in February 1972 and were given little chance of emulating that feat in their third-round replay.

It was all going to plan when Newcastle took the lead in a game which had been postponed three times by bad weather.

But Hereford grew stronger as the match went on and Ronnie Radford equalised with a long-range thunderbolt, one of the cup’s most famous ever goals, to take the game into extra time where Ricky George hit the winner.

Sutton 2 Coventry 1 (1989)

Coventry arrived in Surrey just 18 months after winning the 1987 FA Cup, and were riding high in the top flight.

It appeared to be a case of “no contest” against the non-leaguers. But they were left stunned in their third-round meeting as Tony Rains and Matthew Hanlan became the goalscoring heroes for a team fashioned by English teacher Barrie Williams.

Both scorers became instant celebrities, appearing on Terry Wogan’s chat show the following Monday.

Wrexham 2 Arsenal 1 (1992)

The Gunners were the reigning league champions, Wrexham were bottom of the old fourth division – there was only going to be one result at the Racecourse Ground.

Arsenal had taken the lead through Alan Smith in the third-round clash but with 10 minutes to go, 37-year-old Mickey Thomas unleashed a 20-yard free-kick past David Seaman for the equaliser.

The Welsh side could sense an upset and Steve Watkin popped up late on to score the winner and send their illustrious opponents crashing out.

Cambridge 1 Newcastle 0 (2022)

Third-tier Cambridge stunned Premier League club Newcastle with a 1-0 FA Cup victory at St James’ Park that fired the League One side into the fourth round.

Joe Ironside scored the only goal of the game, striking in the 56th minute to dump Eddie Howe’s side out of the competition.

Wycombe 2 Leicester 1 (2001)

Second Division Wycombe provided an upset in the quarter-finals of the competition in 2001, beating Premier League Leicester 2-1.

Paul McCarthy put the Chairboys ahead before Muzzy Izzet equalised for the Foxes, but Roy Essandoh, who remarkably was brought in via an advert on Ceefax in to ease Wycombe’s injury crisis, sent them into the semi-finals with a last-gasp header.

Steven Naismith lauded his Hearts team for taking command of the race for third place in the cinch Premiership after “getting battered” with criticism during a slow start to the season.

The Jambos moved 10 points clear of fourth-place Kilmarnock on Saturday as a Jorge Grant penalty and a 19th goal of the season for Lawrence Shankland secured a 2-0 win over Aberdeen.

It was a 10th victory in 13 league games for the Edinburgh side, who came under fire in the autumn after winning just three of their opening 10.

“We are in a very good position,” said Naismith. “Our form recently has been really good. After a slow start and getting battered in the press, we have continued to just get on with our business.

“Internally we are comfortable and we are getting our rewards from that. We don’t panic. We didn’t panic against Spartans (in the Scottish Cup), we played to the end and got our goal.

“We were 2-0 down against Dundee and came back. But we have got to see it as, any successful player’s mentality is always ‘I’m doing well, but how can I get to the next bit?’

“Whether you’re a young player breaking into the team or Shanks scoring goals, it’s always ‘how can we be better?’. We are building that mentality and that’s what we need to have.”

Naismith insisted he never doubted that things would come good, even when his team were languishing in the bottom six earlier in the campaign and he was coming under fire from supporters.

“I’ve experienced it as a player,” he said. “I’ve had managers come in that are completely different to the previous one or making lots of changes, and it takes time.

“We are unfortunately in an era of instant success and if that’s not happening then you’re done, you’re not good enough.

“The thing that gave me lots of confidence was a lot of our players were improving day-to-day and we could see it. But the hard part is to do it on a Saturday when there are loads of people watching you, and nerves come into it.

“But once you can start dealing with that and you trust yourself, you improve. At the end of the day I go home and I have got a wife and two kids that are more important than any football game.”

Aberdeen boss Barry Robson was the subject of calls from some supporters to leave towards the end of Saturday’s match, while Jambos fans goaded him with chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” as his team slipped to eighth in the table.

“From the minute I have been here I have been under pressure as an Aberdeen manager,” said Robson.

“Anyone who has been an Aberdeen manager will tell you that, and I’m no different.

“I understand the club, I know the club and I know the demands of the club, so I get that but we need to keep going and keep working.

“It is frustrating when there are a couple of decisions that have not been great and we didn’t perform for 20 to 25 minutes.”

Kieran Trippier says Bayern Munich’s interest is a “compliment” but insists he remains fully committed to Newcastle.

The Magpies reportedly rejected a bid from the German champions to pry the England international away from the north east this month.

Trippier reiterated that Bayern’s interest has not put him off from being an integral player for Eddie Howe’s side, insisting he wants to make history.

Speaking after Newcastle’s 2-0 FA Cup victory over Fulham, Trippier said: “It’s always a compliment when a team like Bayern come in for you but I want to make history with the club, win a trophy and help the club grow for as long as possible.

“I hope everybody knows my commitment to this club. It has not changed since I first arrived. It’s a transfer window, things happen, it’s not put me off or anything. I’m at Newcastle.

“Things happen in the background. I had loads of conversations with the manager, everything was positive, nothing has changed and I’m committed to Newcastle.”

Newcastle will need to sell players in order to comply with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability regulations.

Trippier credited the professionalism of his team-mates despite several members of the squad drawing interest from potential suitors.

He added: “It’s a transfer window. The players are committed and nothing will change.

“We have a great squad, I’ve spoken about the togetherness in our group. Nothing will take us off track.

“Loads of rumours go round and it didn’t put us off tonight.

“We can only focus on what we do on the pitch and what goes on in the background goes on in the background.”

Trippier endured a difficult December period which included a mistake leading to a goal and a penalty miss during Newcastle’s Carabao Cup exit to Chelsea.

The right-back showed signs of his best on Saturday, delivering dangerous crosses into the box in the lead up to goals from Sean Longstaff and Dan Burn.

Trippier said: “I’m happy to stand here and say I’ve gone through some bad moments, it’s not like we do it on purpose, it happens.

“I’ve been in this situation in my career before but I just hope this is the turning point and I know I can do better.

“I recognise when I’m in a bad moment but it’s a new year and a new chapter.”

Bayern Munich have announced the signing of Sacha Boey on a four-and-a-half year deal.

The 23-year-old French defender arrives in Munich from Galatasaray on a contract until June 30, 2028.

Boey began his career in France at Rennes before becoming a regular in Dijon’s side during a loan spell with them in the 2020/21 season.

He moved to Galatasaray in 2021, where he became first-choice right-back last season, scoring one goal and providing four assists as the Turkish side secured the Super Lig title.

Speaking about the move, Boey told the Bayern website: “This is a dream come true for me. It’s an honour for me to get to play for such a big club like Bayern.

“I’m really looking forward to my new team and getting to play with all these great players in the future.

“As a player, I’m a defender who likes to attack, just as happy being involved up front as in defence.”

Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund added: “Sacha Boey is a very quick and physically strong right-back, who covers a lot of ground in every game and doesn’t shy away from any tackles.

“He was a fan favourite at Galatasaray, has developed very well down the years, arrived with Champions League experience and won the league title with Galatasaray last season.

“He will increase our quality in defence.”

Maidstone goalkeeper Lucas Covolan is eyeing a move to the Sky Bet Championship after a “normal day at the office” in the club’s historic 2-1 win at Ipswich.

National League South club Maidstone produced one of the FA Cup’s greatest upsets on Saturday after goals from Lamar Reynolds and Sam Corne in Suffolk.

Covolan also starred at Portman Road as Maidstone lost the shot count 38-2, but had their former Brazil Under-20 goalkeeper to thank following a string of excellent saves.

It helped Maidstone become only the 11th non-league club to reach the fifth round in what was their seventh tie in this season’s competition.

“It’s a normal day at the office isn’t it,” Covolan told BBC One.

“I had a great game and I am so happy I could help my team-mates. Here we go, we’re in the hat again and I am so proud of the team.

“Hopefully I can get a move now to the Championship as well!

“What we have achieved now is something unbelievable. To be in the last 16 teams in England, it’s brilliant, just brilliant.

“Credit to all the fans, all the team performance. Everyone was cramping up at the end, but we kept fighting, bodies on the line and everything. What a great day.”

Before kick-off 98 places separated the teams and Ipswich could have been 3-0 up inside 11 minutes, but Jeremy Sarmiento and Omari Hutchinson hit the post, while Covolan denied Hutchinson and Nathan Broadhead.

Further saves from Covolan thwarted Hutchinson and Sam Morsy before Reynolds sent the 4,472-travelling fans into pandemonium with a superb chip in the 43rd minute.

Ipswich did finally beat Covolan 11 minutes after half-time when Sarmiento rolled into the bottom corner, but Corne put George Elokobi’s side back in front with 66 minutes on the clock after another fine breakaway goal.

All eyes were on whether the sixth-tier outfit could hold on and Covolan ensured they did with a sensational save to deny Conor Chaplin following a corner with six minutes left.

It resulted in jubilant scenes at full-time, with Covolan tearful after an eventful career that has seen him score in the National League play-off final for Torquay in 2021, but suffer with depression during a spell at Port Vale.

The 32-year-old added: “It means a lot. I just want to thank my whole family, my wife and everybody that’s been supporting us.

“It means so much because my career in the last few years was not very good and now all the bad parts of the career comes in my head and we produce this.

“It’s unreal. It was very, very good.”

Ipswich captain Morsy urged his team to bounce back as quickly as possible in their bid for promotion after he acknowledged the day belonged to Maidstone.

“We have to look at it and things we can work on because ultimately we didn’t do enough to win the game,” Morsy told Town TV.

“Sometimes it is the other team’s day.

“We haven’t had many disappointing days but sometimes in football it can happen.”

Jack Butland believes Rangers are continuing to grow under Philippe Clement after showing their adaptability to beat St Mirren 1-0 in Paisley.

Swirling wind at the SMiSA stadium on Saturday lunchtime made good football all but impossible but ultimately striker Cyriel Dessers’ goal after 14 minutes – his 12th of the season – was enough to take the three points back to Ibrox.

Rangers remain five points behind cinch Premiership leaders Celtic with a game in hand and Butland told RangersTV: “We are developing as a team. There is obviously an end goal of what we want to achieve but we have to take it a game at a time and get the results that we want and we did that.

“We got the job done. We went there to get three points and a clean sheet and we have done that.

“As far as playing the football that we want, perhaps not, but it is what this league is about.

“You have different tests, it was a different game to Wednesday night (3-0 win at Hibernian) where we are able to play more football in better conditions but it is a sign of how the team is growing.

“It (conditions) don’t allow you to get it down and play the passes you want to play in tighter areas so you do have to adapt and play to the conditions but that is part and parcel of the game.

“We would be naive if we thought we could play exactly how we played the other night.

“Sometimes you have to be sensible and get the result and that’s what we’ve done.

“We’ve created openings without taking too many chances. It was a great finish from Cyriel and we got the result we wanted which is the business we are in.”

Stephen Robinson handed a first league appearance to January recruit Hyeok-kyu Kwon, the midfielder who is on loan from Celtic.

Attacker James Scott, initially signed on loan from Exeter before he joins Saints on a permanent two-year-deal in the summer, came on in the second half to make his debut while Jaden Brown, who arrived on loan from Lincoln last week, remained on the bench.

The Buddies boss told stmirren.com: “I don’t expect to bring anyone else in.

“The deal was I could only bring players in if I got players out so ultimately maybe one more player will leave to balance the three players that came in.

“But I believe we will come out of this transfer window in a better position with a more balanced squad with competition in each position.”

Christian Eriksen signed for Inter Milan from Tottenham for a fee in the region of £17million on this day in 2020.

The Denmark international joined Inter on a four-and-a-half-year deal following six-and-a-half years with Spurs, where he scored 69 goals and provided 89 assists in 305 appearances.

Following his departure, Eriksen posted on X, formerly Twitter: “Dear Tottenham fans, I don’t know where to start!

“I didn’t have time to say goodbye to everyone, even though I felt like I played a lot of games where everyone said and thought I would be gone the next day.

“I have so many unbelievable memories over the last 6.5 years I was at Spurs.

“I enjoyed being at the training ground every day and playing games in the stadium so much, but sometimes you just want to try something new.

“So, Spurs fans it has been a pleasure to play at your club and hopefully we meet again in the future.”

Eriksen won a Serie A title with Inter, but left the club in December 2021 after suffering a cardiac arrest at Euro 2020 during Denmark’s opener against Finland.

After receiving life-saving treatment on the pitch, he was taken to hospital and fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) device.

Serie A rules stated that Eriksen would be unable to play with an ICD and an agreement was struck for him to leave.

He then signed for Brentford on a six-month deal in January 2022 before joining Manchester United that summer.

Eddie Howe praised the resilience of his Newcastle side after their 2-0 win against Fulham at Craven Cottage saw them progress to the FA Cup fifth round for just the second time in 18 years.

Only once since 2006 have the Magpies reached the competition’s last-16, when the side managed by Steve Bruce fell at the quarter-final stage against Manchester City.

Howe emphasised the importance of the club’s last shot at winning a trophy this campaign after they despatched Marco Silva’s team in west London.

“It was a big result for us,” he said. “We knew we wanted to progress. It’s our last chance at silverware this season so I think the expectation from us internally was that we had to give it everything to try and get through.

“I didn’t think it was the most fluent performance we’ve ever delivered but we got the major things right which were resilience, really good character and attitude. We improved in the game, we got better in the second half.

“It’s a competition that we want to do well in. Hopefully there’s more to come.”

Newcastle took the lead six minutes before half-time and Fulham had themselves to blame.

A free-kick hoisted over from the right was dealt with indecisively by the home side’s defence, as two players got in each other’s way in a doomed attempt to clear. From there, the ball dropped to Sean Longstaff, who with a confident swing of his left foot fired Howe’s side in front.

VAR was called upon to adjudicate on a possible handball against Bruno Guimaraes as the ball pinged loosed inside the box, but the goal was deemed legitimate and Newcastle led.

Earlier, Rodrigo Muniz had had Fulham’s best chance of the half, striking low towards Martin Dubravka’s bottom corner and drawing a superb stop from the goalkeeper, who clawed it away at full stretch.

Newcastle doubled their lead on the hour mark, Sven Botman rising to thump a powerful header at goal from Kieran Trippier’s corner. Marek Rodak beat it away with two firm hands but could not get it clear of danger and Dan Burn tapped home.

The result brought welcome respite to what has been a torrid patch of away form for Newcastle, after five consecutive league defeats on the road.

“It’s strange because you look at us in the cups and we’ve been OK (away),” said Howe. “We just haven’t carried it across to the Premier League form, which has been a huge frustration. But I don’t see any reason why we can’t start winning away from home.

“We prided ourselves last year on being hard to score against. We’ve got the players to score at the other end. It’s been missing this year, but hopefully that will return quickly.”

Fulham boss Silva reflected on a a second cup exit in a week following Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final loss to Liverpool.

“That is football sometimes,” he said. “You play well but the key moments were not clear for us and that is our fault. The chances that we did create, with the amount that we created, we should have been more ruthless.

“We arrived so many times in dangerous areas that we have to better decide the last action, the pass or the finish. We have to be stronger in those situations, on the set pieces and with our finishing.”

Ademola Lookman scored twice as Nigeria beat fellow Africa Cup of Nations heavyweights Cameroon 2-0 in Abidjan to set up a quarter-final meeting with Angola.

Former Everton forward Lookman put the Super Eagles in front with a 36th-minute finish and added a second late on to seal the win over a lacklustre Cameroon, the five-time AFCON champions who finished third on home soil two years ago.

While Rigobert Song’s Indomitable Lions exit, three-time winners Nigeria, managed by Jose Peseiro, will now face Angola at the same venue on Friday for a place in the last four.

After an early looping header from Victor Osimhen was caught by Cameroon goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa, Nigeria had the ball in the net in the ninth minute via Semi Ajayi’s shot, but a VAR check led to the effort being disallowed for offside.

They did take the lead when Osimhen showed his strength as he dispossessed Oumar Gonzalez before laying the ball to Lookman, whose strike squirmed under the body of Ondoa and over the line.

Lookman subsequently curled a free-kick over the crossbar from the edge of the box 10 minutes into the second half before a rare Cameroon attack saw Nouhou Tolo blast high into the stand.

Nigeria were forced to change their goalkeeper after Stanley Nwabali was left hurt after a collision with Georges-Kevin Nkoudou and was carried off on a stretcher, being replaced by Francis Uzoho in the 80th minute.

Peseiro’s side then passed up a couple of good chances to extend their lead, with Ola Aina seeing a shot blocked by Tolo and Alex Iwobi scuffing wide, before Lookman wrapped things up by diverting Calvin Bassey’s cutback past Ondoa in the 90th minute.

AC Milan blew their chance to put pressure on the two teams above them in Serie A as Riccardo Orsolini’s late penalty snatched a 2-2 draw for Bologna in an eventful clash at the San Siro.

The hosts missed two penalties of their own but still looked set to take the three points when Ruben Loftus-Cheek headed his second goal of the game with just seven minutes left on the clock.

Loftus-Cheek had earlier cancelled out an opener from Joshua Zirkzee, but Milan’s wasteful spot-kicks cost them with both Olivier Giroud and Theo Hernandez failing to convert for the third-placed side.

Play at the San Siro had been stopped in the 16th minute in support of Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, who suffered racial abuse in their match at Udinese last weekend.

Fans lit up the stadium with smartphone torches while a quote from Martin Luther King – “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that” – was shown on a big screen.

Milan were intent on a fifth straight win to close the gap on city rivals Inter, and Rafael Leao had the first real chance in the 19th minute when he fired straight at Bologna keeper Lukasz Skorupski.

But the lively visitors were rewarded for their early ambition in the 29th minute when Zirkzee lashed home a loose ball after Milan failed to clear around the edge of their box.

Milan responded through Simon Kjaer who fired over the bar from a dangerous Christian Pulisic cross, then Pulisic himself missed an opportunity after being played in by Loftus-Cheek.

Milan were awarded their first penalty in the 39th minute for a foul by Lewis Ferguson on Kjaer, but Giroud missed his chance with a soft spot-kick that was comfortably gathered by Skorupski.

But the hosts’ frustrations only lasted six minutes before Loftus-Cheek raced onto a cross from the left to grab his third goal in his last four games.

Zirkzee had two good chances to put the visitors back in front, while Tijjani Reijnders hit the woodwork before the hosts amazingly squandered another spot-kick.

With Giroud having been substituted, Theo Hernandez stepped up, but hit the post after Riccardo Calafiori had been penalised for his challenge on Leao.

Milan finally grabbed the lead for the first time in the 83rd minute when Loftus-Cheek rose highest to head past Skorupski and seemingly set his side on their way to another three points.

But there was to be a final twist and after Victor Kristiansen came close to levelling, Bologna were awarded a penalty of their own on the stroke of full-time, which Orsolini showed the hosts how it was done with a firm low strike.

Barcelona manager Xavi has announced he will leave the club at the end of the season.

Xavi’s position has been under the spotlight as the LaLiga champions have fallen behind Real Madrid and Girona at the top of the table.

Following Saturday’s 5-3 home defeat by Villarreal, Xavi posted a message on the club’s social media account confirming his departure.

“I want to announce that on June 30 I will no longer continue as the coach at Barca,” Xavi said.

“I think the situation needs to change course, and as a culer (Barca fan), I cannot allow the current situation.”