A late free-kick deep inside Bologna territory for the hosts is played downfield - and Svanberg can't control it! Milan blast the ball away and that will be the game!
90' +2
Bologna batter the Milan box, peppering balls in from left, right and centre before Donnarumma snaffles a looping delivery. The Rossoneri are almost home and dry.
90'
Four added minutes incoming. Buckle in.
88'
Donnarumma gets a hand to this one and Ibrahimovic spears the rapid counter-move for Milan. This has turned into a delightfully exciting finale.
87'
Palacio! It's another block to deny another glowing chance for Bologna. Milan absolutely fail to deal with the corner and it will be a second set-piece from the same flag.
85'
The corner is less than satisfactory for the hosts and Olsen subsequently whistles a follow-up over the crossbar. Milan breathe a sigh of relief after that latest push from Bologna's attack.
83'
Soriano! Donnarumma is forced into a close-range save as the attacking midfielder heads in a Danilo ball near the left post. Bologna are pushing for that equaliser with everything they have got.
81'
A. Poli has scored a goal for Bologna! Assist by A. Skov Olsen.
GOAL! ANDREA POLI PULLS ONE BACK FOR BOLOGNA! 2-1! The hosts are back in it! Rodrigo Palacio helps spark the move, feeding Olsen down the right before the latter squares it back in for a tidy finish from Poli. Game on!
Olsen feeds that ball with a deft, delicate touch. It has been an inspired raft of changes for Bologna. Milan are suddenly looking a lot more wary.
79'
A. Poli enters the game and replaces J. Schouten.
R. Palacio enters the game and replaces M. Dijks.
The hosts also replace Schouten with Andrea Poli.
Bologna hook Dijks now and bring on Rodrigo Palacio.
76'
Stefano Pioli continues to bark out orders on the sidelines. He wants his side to see this one through with a clean sheet, ruthlessly vocal when they surrender field position too easily.
Minute
Description
73'
M. Mandžukić enters the game and replaces Rafael Leão.
Milan bring on Mario Mandzukic now to replace Leao.
71'
Krunic tickles a tasty delivery into the Bologna box and the hosts scramble to get it away. Tomori nearly creates a second headache but cannot make the connection he wants.
69'
A thumbs-up from Barrow after a square-pass overlap comes inches away from unlocking Milan's defence. The hosts refuse to let this one go without a fight as it enters the final quarter.
67'
A. Skov Olsen enters the game and replaces R. Orsolini.
M. Svanberg enters the game and replaces N. Domínguez.
E. Vignato enters the game and replaces N. Sansone.
It's three changes for Bologna overall, as Andreas Skov Olsen replaces Orsolini.
Mattias Svanberg is also on for the hosts, replacing Dominguez.
Bologna make a change now, with Sansone hooked for Emanuel Vignato.
64'
This has really segued into a scrappy affair when it comes to challenges. Both sides are lucky to be not racking up extra yellow cards, particularly as frustrations boil over for Bologna with misplaced balls here and there.
62'
R. Krunić enters the game and replaces A. Rebić.
I. Bennacer enters the game and replaces S. Tonali.
The visitors also pull Tonali for Ismael Bennacer instead.
Milan make their first change now as Rebic makes way for Rade Krunic.
60'
Orsolini curls a low effort towards the left post which Donnarumma neatly reads. Bologna have a third of this game left to snaffle a result out of it.
56'
R. Soriano gets yellow.
This is threatening to boil over now. A challenge leads to players from both sides squaring off and it is Soriano who is shown the yellow card in an effort to get each team to cool their heels.
55'
Penalty goal scored by F. Kessié for AC Milan!
GOAL! FRANCK KESSIE DOUBLES MILAN'S LEAD! 2-0! To cap off those dramatic minutes, the midfielder converts from the penalty spot, stuttering in his run and drilling low to the right. The visitors are fully in control here.
54'
Penalty to Milan! Ibrahimovic and Soumaoro go up for a high delivery inside the Bologna box and the latter appears to nudge it down onto his own hand. The call is for a spot-kick, leaving Mihajlovic furiously raging at the referee - and the coach is shown a straight red card! He's off!
52'
Barrow goes tumbling but gets no sympathy from the officials for his pleas for a free-kick. Bologna do get one for another foul a moment later, albeit well back inside their own half.
51'
A. Rebić gets yellow.
Rebic is flashed the first yellow card of the game, with the Milan man less than impressed by the call.
50'
Kessie! A lob shot - or perhaps a cross seeking Ibrahimovic - is batted away for a soft corner. The visitors show they are still firmly on the money when it comes to carving out an opportunity here.
48'
Orsolini now cracks a free-kick over the crossbar following a routine foul just outside the Milan box. Early opportunities have come knocking for Bologna.
46'
We are back underway for the second half in Serie A. Will Milan see out what could be a routine win here or can Bologna spark an upset?
45' +1
HALF-TIME: BOLOGNA 0-1 MILAN
45'
Calabria! That should have been a better finish from the right-back as he blazes a loose ball spilled into his path by Skorupski well over the crossbar. One added minute incoming.
42'
Milan's latest counter raises the hairs on Bologna's necks, searing them down the left wing - before they turn the tables and counter themselves. Sansone turns Calabria around; Donnarumma taps the midfielder's shot away.
40'
Victory here also feels like it should be the start of a strong run for the Rossoneri. They have Crotone and Spezia up next; two teams fully embroiled with their own survival and not much form between them. They'll have high expectations.
37'
This has been a refreshing half of football after the Coppa Italia histrionics for Milan, and a steadying one after that shock reverse to Atalanta in their last Serie A game. The trick will be keeping themselves on an even keel from here.
35'
Barrow drifts an almost delightful free-kick into Milan's penalty area now, winning a corner from a clearing header. The set-piece is rushed away by the visitors, determined to preserve their lead.
33'
Indeed, a corner and some lovely footwork from Orsolini helps sustain a spell of pressure on the Milan box, with the Bologna man ultimately squeezing a shot just around the wrong side of the right post. Down the other end, Leao miscues an effort straight into Skorupski's gloves.
29'
It's close to 2-0 after a lob shot requires Skorupski to parry again, and then Ibrahimovic is flagged for offside as he attempts to rattle the follow-up in. A few minutes of high drama in Bologna!
26'
A. Rebić has scored a goal for AC Milan!
Penalty saved by Ł. Skorupski!
That is so cruel for Skorupski, who kept his eyes firmly in the moment there. He'll be kicking himself that he couldn't hold onto the shot in the first place.
But what was Ibrahimovic thinking there? He normally buries those with the sort of enthusiasm small children have for drawing over walls with crayons. That was a soft effort by his standards.
GOAL! ANTE REBIC NETS FOR MILAN! 1-0! Oh, so cruel for Bologna! Skorupski reads a surprisingly tame Ibrahimovic penalty finish, rolled towards the left corner, and parries - straight into the path of the Croatian who tucks the follow-up home.
24'
M. Dijks gets yellow.
Penalty to Milan! It's pandemonium in the Bologna box after Rebic wins a corner. Skorupski bats away two close-range efforts from Ibrahimovic before Dijks drags back Leao as he attempts to bag the follow-up. Ibrahimovic will naturally take as the Bologna man is booked...
22'
The visitors build a sustained spell around the Bologna box before they have their pockets picked and their hosts counter. It is an attack doomed to not reach the final third but the recovery digs them out of immediate trouble.
20'
Ibrahimovic! A fine chance for the Swede is snaffled out by Skorupski as he latches onto a throughball just before the Milan man can roll onto it and bury it into the net.
18'
Barrow is unlucky to see a call go against him on the edge of the box as Bologna push forth, the striker on the wrong side of a haphazard tussle that leaves him still standing as the apparently guilty party.
16'
This has been a well-balanced opening quarter-hour or so in Bologna, with the hosts holding their superior - on paper - opponents at bay without too much exertion. But there is so much to go in this game.
14'
As both sides settle into a midfield tussle, a quick second word on that Hernandez effort; it was even closer than first glance suggested, with Skorupski actually landing a glove on the ball to divert it into the crossbar. That was sailing in. What a goal that would have been.
11'
Bologna have to back-pedal at pace now as a long cut-out ball almost tickles Ibrahimovic's fancy. It is the first real sniff of a chance the Swede has had, before Milan win themselves a free-kick wide on their own right edge.
10'
Kessie gets embroiled in a tumble-down tackle on Bologna's right flank and the hosts pound the resulting free-kick towards Milan's box. Orsolini gets too much weight on it, sending it sailing beyond all assembled near the goal.
7'
Mihajlovic - sporting that tam o' shanter he seems particularly fond of - is less than impressed as his side buckle through the middle as Calabria comes forward. Leao cannot convert the chance however, despite space and time.
5'
Ibrahimovic - whose contributions against Inter in the Coppa Italia were eventful to say the least - is in so many ways the focal point of Pioli's style here. A big game from him typically brings results with it.
3'
Milan, decked out in the colours of their white change strip today, push first with an early throw-in, which Leao cannot convert. Bologna counter - and almost net an early opener after Tomiyasu delivers a beautiful cross within inches of Sansone in the visitors' six-yard area.
1'
We are underway in this Serie A clash between Bologna and Milan!
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the 2020-21 Serie A season, as leaders Milan look to bounce back from only their second loss of the campaign against mid-table Bologna at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara.
Stefano Pioli's side have looked near-impervious all term, but derby defeat to fellow title rivals Inter last time out in a fiery Coppa Italia clash has cut into their lead at the summit. Victory is the only way to assure they are still there at the end of the weekend.
Sinisa Mihajlovic, in his second spell in charge of today's hosts, knew just how to win Serie A as a player, but is yet to recapture those highs in the Emilia-Romagna region. Defeat against Juventus last time out leaves a relegation battle looming; points here would be a huge boon today.
These sides meet for the second time as the latter half of the season gets underway of course, having met on opening day. Then, at San Siro, an Ibrahimovic double either side of the break handed Milan the spoils; they'll hope he can deliver the goods again.
The teams are preparing to emerge at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara ahead of kick-off.
He's done it on more than a few occasions this season but Lukasz Skorupski is the man who keeps Bologna in a lot of these games. He's had some crucial touches today and it is a stroke of luck against him that means he has conceded today.
Sinisa Mihajlovic will have much to chew on there. Two penalty calls is what broke his side in the end, and they can take heart from going toe-to-toe with the league leaders. But heart is not points and they may rue this one as a missed opportunity.
Stefano Pioli on the other hand will be delighted. After two games that saw his side come up empty-handed, they have responded, if not strictly in emphatic fashion. A win is a win; they stay top of Serie A.
Both sides wait until February 7 before they return to action now; for Bologna, Parma awaits while Milan enjoy a top-versus-bottom clash with Crotone. Until then however, thank you for joining us - and have a great week!
Commentary
More…