AC Milan Draw With Como As Allegri’s Red Card Stalls Title Hopes

AC Milan slipped further behind Serie A leaders Inter after a 1-1 home draw with Como, despite extending a long unbeaten league run. Milan stayed seven points off the top, and Massimiliano Allegri was dismissed late on, adding frustration to a night where clear chances were not fully taken.

The visitors created better openings overall and finished with a higher expected goals figure, registering 1.45 xG to Milan's 0.76. That statistical edge underlined Como's threat, although Milan still stretched their unbeaten Serie A sequence to 24 matches, preserving momentum in the title race.

The contest opened cautiously, with both sides feeling their way into the game. Como appeared to strike first on 25 minutes when Mergim Vojvoda finished inside the area after meeting Nico Paz's touch, but the assistant quickly raised the flag and the effort was cancelled for offside.

Milan responded with pressure as Rafael Leao drove at the Como defence and forced a save, but an error at the back changed the tone. Mike Maignan misplaced a pass, Paz seized possession and calmly slipped the ball between the goalkeeper's legs on 32 minutes to give Como the lead.

Leao stayed central to Milan's response, drawing another strong stop from Jean Butez before eventually finding the net. On 64 minutes, Ardon Jashari lifted a precise pass over the defence, and Leao read the flight perfectly, lobbing Butez to equalise and ignite the San Siro crowd.

The forward almost completed the turnaround when a close-range header crashed against the crossbar, leaving Como exposed again. Tensions rose near the touchline and Allegri received a red card with 10 minutes left, while Jesus Rodriguez's late free-kick tested Maignan but drifted wide, sealing the draw.

For Paz, the opener continued a strong away record. All of the last five Serie A goals scored by Paz have come on the road, including a brace during the previous away match against Lazio. The Como attacker has now scored in consecutive away league games for the first time, reaching nine goals this season.

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The draw keeps Milan's league sequence without defeat at 24 matches, a run only bettered once in a single Serie A season by the club. That superior streak came in 1991-92, when Milan avoided defeat in all 34 league games, though this current campaign still leaves Inter ahead in the standings.