Two screamers from Zlatan Ibrahimovic kept Inter Milan top of Serie A as AC Milan and Juventus win 1-0 and 4-1 respectively. Napoli and Udinese slip up with losses as the big three occupy the head of the table.

AC Milan have moved back into second place and a point behind Serie A leaders Inter Milan after a controversial 1-0 win at home to Chievo.

Carlo Ancelotti's side produced a laboured performance that only garnered the three points after Kaka earned a dubious penalty in the 15th minute.

The Brazil midfielder was tripped by Davide Mandelli as he tried to get on the end of a Ronaldinho through-ball, although the Chievo players protested the infringement had occurred outside the area.

Referee Andrea De Marco waved away those claims and Kaka converted to stretch Milan's unbeaten league run to nine matches.

A fifth defeat on the trot dropped Chievo to the foot of the table.

Roma striker Julio Baptista struck the only goal after 50 minutes as the Giallorossi edged the Rome derby with Lazio, moving them three points clear of the drop zone.

Late goals from Thomas Manfredini and Sergio Floccari ended 10-man Napoli's brave resistance as Atalanta claimed a 3-1 win in Bergamo.

Napoli, who could have gone a point behind leaders Inter, fell behind to Ferreira Pinto's 62nd-minute strike and saw their hopes of getting back into the contest diminish when striker Marcelo Zalayeta was shown his second yellow card four minutes later.

Edy Reja's men did conjure a way back into the match, though, with Marek Hamsik converting a 73rd-minute penalty.

It looked as though Hamsik's goal would earn Napoli a point but Manfredini struck with a minute to go before Floccari settled the game with a third for the home side.

A stunning strike by Franco Brienza gave Reggina their first away points of the season and lifted them off the foot of the table as high-flying Udinese fell to their first home defeat 1-0.

Brienza's strike on the hour-mark was enough to see the visitors record only their second victory of the season.

Udinese's current poor run continued, though, and a third match without a win saw them slip to seventh in the standings, having led the division earlier in the campaign.

Giuseppe Mascara hit a superb hat-trick to give Catania a 3-2 victory in an entertaining clash with Torino at the Stadio Angelo Massimino.

The visitors took a surprise lead after just seven minutes through Riccardo Colombo, but that lead lasted barely a minute before Mascara scored his first of the afternoon.

Mascara, 29, put the home side in front after 39 minutes only for Torino to draw level shortly after the break through Nicola Amoruso's penalty.

The game looked to be heading for a draw until the Sicily-born Mascara completed his hat-trick with 10 minutes remaining.

Sampdoria pulled away from the lower reaches of the table with an action-packed 3-2 victory over Lecce in Genoa.

Goals from Gennaro Delvecchio and Antonio Cassano inside the first 15 minutes set the home side on their way.

Simone Tiribocchi pulled one back in the 55th minute to put the pressure on Samp, who reacted with a strike from Marius Stankevicius five minutes later.

Tiribocchi grabbed a second eight minutes from the end, but Samp held on for a win which lifts them above their opponents and clear of the bottom three.

Fiorentina were left to rue a number of wasted chances as they went down 1-0 to Cagliari.

Cagliari produced a solid defensive display to hold on to Robert Acquafresca's 31st-minute penalty.

Siena remain unbeaten at home after a 1-1 draw with Bologna, although they would have been disappointed not to have grabbed victory after substitute Emanuele Calaio missed a second-half penalty.

Abdelkader Ghezzal headed the Bianconeri into a 22nd-minute lead before Marco Di Vaio levelled matters with a penalty in first-half injury-time.

The home side had the chance to win the game when Calaio won a 76th-minute spot-kick, but after stepping up to take the penalty himself the striker sent his effort wide.

PA Sport

Serie A Table after Round 12