Milan, Italy – AC Milan left it late but managed to come away from the San Siro on Wednesday with a 1-0 victory over Genoa to keep pace with first-place Juventus.
The two sides looked to be heading for a draw until Bosko Jankovic was dismissed for picking up a second yellow card, giving Milan the impetus to grab a later winner through Kevin-Prince Boateng four minutes from time.
Jankovic received his first yellow card in the 60th minute and foolishly put in a mistimed challenge 13 minutes later to earn a red card.
The home side took advantage of the extra man as Boateng collected a driven cross in the 86th minute and slammed his effort just inside the near post from close range.
With Juventus also claiming a 1-0 victory Wednesday, the top of the Serie A table remains unchanged as the Turin club occupies first place on 74 points, three points better than the Rossoneri.
Genoa has lost two straight to stay put on 36 points, just one point clear of the relegation zone.
Juventus 1, Cesena 0
Cesena, Italy - Juventus preserved its lead atop the Serie A table with a 1-0 defeat of Cesena at the Stadio Dino Manuzzi on Wednesday.
The odds appeared to be stacked against Juventus when Andrea Pirlo failed to convert an early penalty, but Marco Borriello rescued the Bianconeri 10 minutes from time with his first league goal of the season.
Juventus remains three points ahead of AC Milan, while Cesena stays bottom on 22 points.
Inter Milan 3, Udinese 1
Udine, Italy - Wesley Sneijder bagged a brace to keep Inter Milan's Champions League qualification hopes alive with a 3-1 win over Udinese at the Stadio Friuli on Wednesday.
Danilo had put the home side in front after just five minutes, but Sneijder turned the match in Inter's favor with goals in the 10th and 28th minutes. Ricardo Alvarez sealed the victory before the break, grabbing Inter's third of the day in the 38th minute.
Inter improves to 52 points on the season to climb to sixth place where it sits two points adrift of a qualification spot for next year's Champions League. Udinese, also on 52 points, sits in fifth with a superior goal differential.
Napoli 2, Lecce 0
Lecce, Italy - Napoli rose to fourth place in the Serie A table after claiming a 2-0 win over Lecce at the Stadio Via del Mare on Wednesday.
Marek Hamsik and Edison Cavani continued their impressive seasons by lifting Napoli to all three points. Hamsik opened the scoring in the fifth minute and Cavani ensured the win six minutes after halftime.
The win sees Napoli take another step towards securing the Champions League qualification spot. Lecce, meanwhile, sits third from bottom on 35 points, one point shy of safety.
Novara 2, Lazio 1
Novara, Italy - Novara kept its survival hopes alive Wednesday as it claimed a vital 2-1 defeat of Lazio at the Stadio Silvio Piola.
Mobido Diakite gifted Novara the lead with an own goal in the 35th minute, but it was quickly canceled out by Antonio Candreva. Lazio pushed for a winner, but Giuseppe Mascara scored 11 minutes from time to prolong Novara's hope for remaining in Serie A.
The Piedmontese side improves to 28 points, eight points shy of a spot outside of the relegation zone. Lazio continues to search for a place in Europe, but the loss leaves that path more complicated as its cushion in third place dwindles to just one point.
Fiorentina 2, Roma 1
Rome, Italy - Fiorentina stole three points at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday as Andrea Lazzari struck in the dying minutes to help the club earn a 2-1 win over Roma.
Stevan Jovetic put Fiorentina in front when he connected on a cross from Lazzari in just the second minute. Roma drew level 19 minutes from time through Francesco Totti, but Lazzari's late heroics saw Fiorentina extend its unbeaten run to four games and climb six points clear of the relegation zone.
Roma has lost two straight to remain on 50 points.
Parma 2, Palermo 1
Palermo, Italy - Parma claimed a 2-1 victory over Palermo on Wednesday to make a massive leap in the Serie A table.
Abel Hernandez put the home side in front, but Parma battled back and claimed the win through second-half goals from Stefano Okaka and Jonathan Biabiany.
Parma jumped ahead of Bologna, Chievo, Atalanta and Siena after securing a third straight victory. Palermo is winless in its last four, sitting just six points clear of danger.
Siena 1, Bologna 1
Siena, Italy - Bologna extended its unbeaten run to four games as it played to a 1-1 draw with Siena at the Stadio Comunale on Wednesday.
Mattia Destro had given Siena the lead early in the second half, but Alessandro Diamanti equalized with a free kick in the 69th minute to see the two clubs split the points.
Bologna and Siena remain separated by just one point having accumulated 42 and 43 points, respectively.
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