AC Milan 2-2 Bologna: Rossoneri held at home despite Ruben Loftus-Cheek brace

Honours even between the third and seventh place sides in Serie A, as a late come-from-behind goal from Ruben Loftus-Cheek was matched by an even later Bolgona leveller from the spot.

It was an unruly 90 minutes of football characterised more as much a host of controversial refereeing decisions and three penalties as any in-game play.

An early yellow card awarded to Riccardo Calafiori for an innocuous foul set the tone of the match and meant the man in the middle, Davide Massa, was almost obliged to exact harsh punishment on anything that followed.

A second went to Rafael Leao before Bologna took a surprise lead on 29 minutes through Joshua Zirkzee - though it could not be said to be against the run of play. Zirkzee started it by setting up an opportunity for his team-mates, by chasing down a long ball.

After they fluffed their lines, he found himself with a better chance and made no mistake, lashing it through the legs of Milan 'keeper Mike Maignan.

The major point of controversy came 10 minutes later when Milan centre-half Simon Kjaer went down in the box clutching his face. Despite replays suggesting no contact was made, the referee decided Lewis Ferguson was criminally responsible and gave the penalty and a booking for the culprit.

Justice may have been said to be done when Olivier Giroud’s soft spot kick was saved, but Milan equalised just a few minutes later when Loftus-Cheek drifted unobserved into the box and tucked away a simple cross from Davide Calabria.

The goalscorer was booked moments later and in all the first half saw six yellow cards dished out, including five for the home side. The away manager, Thiago Motta, awarded a red for his objections to the penalty award.

Seemingly tired out by the first 45 minutes, neither side was able to gain an edge until midway through the second when Rafael Leao broke at speed towards the Bologna box. One-on-one with Sam Beukema, the centre-half lifted his hand to the Portugese player’s face with the left winger more than willing to go down in response. The referee would have given the penalty even if he had not.

Giroud having been substituted it was down to Theo Hernandez who, like Giroud earlier, hit it low and right with his left foot. His penalty hit the post and though he was able to tap home the rebound, the laws mean it did not count.

Milan were nonetheless able to score what they would have thought was the winning goal 10 minutes later. Christian Pulisic slipped his moorings on the right wing and was free to float over the most delicious of crosses for Loftus-Cheek to fire home with his forehead. Though the 'keeper Lukasz Skorupski got two hands to it, there was too much power on it to keep the header out.

Bologna did not deflate and Milan’s lead lasted only nine minutes thanks to the third penalty award of the day. Left-back Victor Kristiansen lunged towards an Riccardo Orsolini cross-cum-shot as it flashed across goal but insisted he was pulled back by Filippo Terraciano. After reviewing the TV replay referee Massa agreed.

Orsolini showed his counterparts how to take a left-footed spot kick, slotting home hard and low beneath he body of Maignan, to earn Bologna a point.

Olivier Giroud’s penalty was so bad you could be forgiven for thinking he had missed on purpose, as an act of charity towards Bologna. Certainly the penalty ought not have been awarded in the first place, but that is no excuse for a strike of Giroud’s experience practically passing it into the welcoming gloves of Skorupski. Theo Hernandez’s was a bit harder, and a bit better but a miss is as good as a mile when it comes to penalties. Score both of those and Milan are home and clear, two points closer to the scudetto. As it is, they remain in also-ran status, the best of the rest, but still the rest.

At the moment everything Ruben Loftus-Cheek touches is turning to gold. Since the turn of the year, no midfielder has scored as many goals as the boy from south London who has made the San Siro his stomping ground. There was a reason Stefano Pioli kept Loftus-Cheek on for the full 90 minutes, despite his picking up a booking, which was that he was far and away the player most likely to score for Milan. He knows where to be, and when to be there, and what to do when he is there. Loftus-Cheek’s first goal was good, but his second was simply of the sort that a player scores when they cannot help but not. When you are golden, you are golden and Ruben Loftus-Cheek is 24 carat.

MILAN: Maignan 6, Calabria 6, Kjaer 7, Gabbia 6, Hernandez 7, Reijnders 8, Adli 6, Leao 7, Loftus-Cheek 9, Pulisic 7, Giroud 6 Subs: Florenzi 6, Musah 6, Jovic, 5, Terraciano 4, Okafor 5

BOLOGNA: Skorupski 6; De Silvestri 7, Kristiansen 7, Aebischer 6, Beukema 7, Calafiori 7, Fabbian 7, Freuler, Zirkzee 8, Ferguson 8, Urbański 7… Subs: Moro 6, Orsolini 7, Lucumí 6, Saelemaekers 7

29' - Goal for Bologna! Zirkzee started the move himself by chasing down a long ball on the right, and suddenly Bologna were present in numbers in the Milan box. After Zirkzee cut the ball back there were blocks galore and the chance seemed to have gone, but it fell back to him on the inside right, where he lashed it through the keeper's legs.

39' - Penalty for Milan! - Given against Ferguson for kicking Kjaer in the face, but he pulled his foot and there seemed to be no contact with the player. What will VAR say?

42' - Giroud misses the penalty! It's a poor spot kick from the Frenchman, soft and low to the 'keeper's left, comfortable enough for him to hold onto.

45' - Goal for Milan! Loftus-Cheek makes the run from deep to get onto the cross from the left, as Bologna are caught napping. No-one picked up his run, but someone should have.

73' - Penalty for Milan! No doubt about that one. Rafael Leao broke at such speed and posed such a threat. He goes down dramatically in response to Beukewma's hand in his face, but the hand definitely was in his face.

74' - Hernandez misses the penalty! He whacks it against the foot of the right post, where it bounces back to him and he slots it home, but it won't count. It needed to be someone other than the taker to touch it first.

84' - Goal for Milan! The right side cross from Pulisic sits up to Loftus-Cheek's leap who heads home from 12 yards. It's a powerful header but not a particularly good one, and the keeper Skorupski should do better.

90' - Penalty for Bologna! Victor Kristiansen felt he was being pulled back as he was lunging for Orsolini's shot-cum-cross. Asked to review the TV replay, referee Meazza gives it instantly.

92' - Goal for Bologna! Hard and low, Orsolini slots it under keeper Maignan. That's how you take a penalty with your left foot.

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