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Francesco Totti's splendid brace has given Roma their first 2-1 win at San Siro in 20 years for Milan's fourth defeat in five games.
The Rossoneri were reeling from three defeats in their last four Serie A games, leaving them 17 points adrift of the leaders, while Massimo Ambrosini, Giuseppe Favalli, Kakha Kaladze and Gennaro Gattuso were out injured. Roma's Scudetto hopes were still alive, though their last League win at San Siro was in 1987.
Rodrigo Taddei's audacious backheel flick was stopped, almost by accident, by Dario Simic, and Roma took the lead after seven minutes.
An Alessandro Nesta defensive error failed to effectively clear Christian Panucci's cross, so Taddei put it back into the centre for a spectacular Francesco Totti volley from six yards. It's the eighth time Totti has scored against Milan.
The home side hit back with Ricardo Oliveira sprinting through the centre, but Max Tonetto got a toe in to deflect it wide with the 'keeper committed. From the resulting corner, Oliveira's handling offence wasted an Andrea Pirlo pass.
Kaka nodded an Alberto Gilardino cross off target, then Philippe Mexes was at full stretch to poke a deflected Cristian Brocchi effort off Clarence Seedorf's foot.
The Rossoneri were pouring forward and Alexander Doni fingertipped an accidental Taddei deflection from a corner inches wide of the near post. At the other end, SImone Perrotta's touch back for a fierce Totti half-volley was smothered by Dida, while Doni held a Kaka angled drive.
There were three Milan chances in the space of 20 seconds in the 23rd minute. Seedorf's first looping attempt beat Doni and clattered the top of the bar, his follow-up was wide and as the move continued Gilardino's close-range tap with the outside of his foot was caught on the line by the Brazilian goalkeeper.
Doni beat away a Kaka cross-shot, while Paolo Maldini and Simic combined beautifully on the left for Gilardino to volley over. Ricardo Oliveira comically scuffed at a Seedorf cross with only the 'keeper to beat, but his blushes were spared by the fact he was also offside.
Ricardo Oliveira was admittedly very unlucky moments later, his stunning 20-metre left-foot strike cannnoning off the bar past Doni's outstretched hand.
Yet only a perfectly-timed Marek Jankulovski tackle prevented Totti getting on the end of a Taddei through ball on the counter-attack. Oliveira had another good chance, but the strike was weak and easily smothered. In first half stoppages, Doni rushed out to charge down Kaka's effort with his foot.
After the break Oliveira drilled wide, Simic's 30-metre strike was blocked and Dida got down well to push Totti's snapshot round the post. Seedorf's powerful angled drive from outside the area flew past the far upright.
The siege finally paid off with an equaliser on 56 minutes. A corner kick was cleared out as far as Brocchi, who unleashed a fearsome effort from 25 metres that beat Doni at the near post. The goalkeeper probably didn't see the ball until late because Cristian Chivu was blocking his view.
Brocchi fired a similar effort wide, as Roma were now permanently pinned back into their own half. Yet a disastrous Dida error nearly restored the Giallorossi's lead, as his pass was wayward with four opposition players in the area, but Milan managed to clear for a corner.
Totti stroked a free kick to the centre where substitute Alberto Aquilani's spectacular first-time strike was palmed out from under the bar by Dida.
Pippo Inzaghi replaced Gilardino and within seconds he forced a tough tackle out of Chivu after hooking down Seedorf's searching pass.
It was a wonderful game and Roma were woken up by a fantastic team move. Max Tonetto and Mancini combined until Aquilani's dummy left Totti free for an angled strike that thumped the base of the far upright.
Pirlo's chipped pass found Jankulovski's volley charged down for a corner, then Doni parried a powerful Kaka attempt and there were penalty appeals for a Seedorf handling offence. Mexes went off with an injury.
A touched-on free kick for Totti whistled wide, while Maldini held off Daniele De Rossi inside the area and moments later the midfielder horribly scuffed wide in front of Dida.
It was chaotic end to end stuff in the closing stages and Roma were once again more clinical in front of goal. A fine team move, inspired by Aquilani's left-foot rabona - where you cross your legs and hit the ball with the back foot - was put into the centre by Mancini for Totti's header at the back post.
Inzaghi's angled drive was wide, then his header into the net was disallowed for an offside position.
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