Serie A round-up

Milan return to the summit; Palermo hammer Lazio

AC Milan followed up their hammering of Arsenal with a victory over Cesena that lifts them back to the top of the Serie A table, while Palermo hit five past Lazio and Udinese drew with Cagliari.

Having beaten title rivals Udinese 2-1 and then thrashed the Gunners 4-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie, AC Milan capped a superb week by defeating Cesena 3-1 away from home to go a point above Juventus at the summit.

The Rossoneri were full of confidence from the start and stormed into a 2-0 lead inside the opening 31 minutes thanks to goals from debutant Sulley Muntari and Urby Emanuelson.

Robinho then added a third 10 minutes after half-time before struggling Cesena netted a consolation goal through Daniel Pudil midway through the second half.

Palermo annihilated a weakened Lazio team 5-1 at the Renzo Barbera stadium to mean the visitors dropped to fourth.

Edgar Barreto, Massimo Donati and Matias Silvestre all scored as Palermo claimed a 3-0 half-time lead against the Roman team, who were without eight players through injuries or suspension.

Igor Budan made it 4-0 early in the second half before Palermo captain Fabrizio Miccoli capped a great evening for the hosts with the team's fifth after 51 minutes played.

Insult

To add insult, Lazio had defender Andre Dias sent off after being shown a second yellow card with 17 minutes remaining.

Lazio found the back of the net through substitute Libor Kozak five minutes from time.

Palermo's fourth successive victory at home has lifted the Sicilian club to eighth in the standings while Lazio have dropped to fourth.

The Roman outfit are level on 42 points with Udinese, who are third and now hold the last UEFA Champions League qualifying spot.

Udinese failed to score for the second successive match as they were held to yet another 0-0 draw at the Stadio Friuli by Cagliari.

Just days after a goalless draw with PAOK Saloniki in the Europa League, the first game in which the club's top goalscorer Antonio Di Natale was missing due to injury, Francesco Guidolin's side failed to find the back of the net again.

The home side had the best chances, but poor finishing prevented them from getting a win, although they still moved above Lazio.

Roma ended Parma's five-game unbeaten run to climb to fifth in the Serie A table after a narrow 1-0 success.

Scrutiny

Fabio Borini's 26th minute goal handed the Eternal City giants all three points at the Stadio Olimpico.

Genoa fell to their third defeat in a row, dropping their first points at home in 2012 as they were edged out 1-0 by Chievo.

Cyril Thereau scored the winner in the 30th minute to lift the Flying Donkeys away from danger and level on points with their hosts, whose coach Pasquale Marino's job will now come under fresh scrutiny.

Lecce boosted their hopes of avoiding the drop by coming from behind to narrow the deficit on fellow strugglers Siena with a 4-1 win at the Stadio Via del Mare.

Cristiano Del Grosso put Siena in front in the 25th minute, but Luis Muriel levelled shortly after.

A 68th-minute penalty from Davide Di Michele and Juan Cuadrado's individual effort then put the home side in command at 3-1.

Lecce lost Manuele Blasi to a red card in the final minute, but it proved no setback for the hosts as they still managed to add a fourth goal through Davide Brivio with the last kick of the game.

Novara moved above Cesena at the bottom of the table but remain in trouble after playing out a goalless draw with Atalanta.

Both sides had plenty of chances, the best coming early in the second half when Novara's Andrea Caracciolo hit the post.

Agent: Barca not an option for Silva

Agent of AC Milan defender Thiago Silva has declared that the 27-year-old Brazilian is happy with life at San Siro and not thinking of a transfer.

Silva joined Milan from Fluminense in the summer of 2009, and has since developed into a key player at the Rossoneri, helping the club to the Scudetto last season.

His performances for the Milan haven't gone unnoticed as Barcelona have been reported to make a bid for Silva at the end of the season.

Silva's agent Paulo Fernando Tonietto made it clear that the player is happy with life in Italy and will only leave Milan only if the club decides so.

Tonietto told calciomercato.com: "Thiago is happy at Milan. He is a calm person and realises that he is playing for a great club.

"If he does not stay at Milan, it will be because the club decides otherwise.

''He is the best player in the world in his position, so it's easy to link his name to Barcelona. But neither Barcelona, nor Milan or Thiago has called to discuss this option. It is just speculation.

"Could he end his career with Milan? He is 27 years old and has a four-year contract, so that could happen," the agent stated.

Silva was named Best Defender in the Serie A for 2011 after his excellent performances for AC Milan last year.

Boateng back for Arsenal game

Kevin Prince-Boateng returned to training on Monday alongside Alessandro Nesta, Alexandre Pato and Christian Abbiati as they seek to overcome their British jinx.

The Rossoneri have failed to beat English sides at this stage of the competition in the past four years. 

The Italian side meet Arsenal at the San Siro on Wednesday with painful memories of the corresponding fixture in 2008. Former Arsenal players Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel Adebayor had scored then in the last 12 minutes of the 2nd leg knocking out AC Milan, who were also the reigning champions at the time.

The club website reports that Kevin Prince-Boateng has returned to light training after recovering from a thigh strain and he carried out tactical training alongside the rest of the squad. 

Alexandre Pato also returned to training but it is uncertain if he will be ready for the Champions League encounter. La Gazetto delo Sport reported that Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri may not wish to risk the fitness of the Brazilian striker and would instead prefer to keep him in reserve for the title clash against Juventus on 25 February. 

Pato was the subject of a bid by Paris St Germain in January but he refused to agree personal terms opting instead to stay with Milan. 

AC Milan lead Juventus by two points in the Serie A but the latter have two games in hand. AC Milan, seeking to win back-to-back championships for the first time since 1994, have 15 games remaining till the end of the season.  

Siena 1-0 Roma

Siena climbed five points clear of the Serie A relegation zone with a narrow home win over Roma.

Emanuele Calaio converted a penalty early in the second half after Simon Kjaer brought down Mattia Destro to settle the game.

The win at the Artemio Franchi stadium was Siena's first since January 4 and lifted the Tuscan outfit into 16th place.

For Roma it was a seventh defeat of the campaign and saw them miss the chance to leapfrog Inter Milan into fifth in the standings.

The visitors dominated possession, but Siena looked more dangerous and almost went in front in the ninth minute.

Luca Rossetini fed Destro in the box and his right-footed shot went over the bar.

Siena missed another good chance when Franco Brienza found Calaio in the heart of the area and his effort went wide.

Roma almost made Siena pay for their misses in the 20th minute when Erik Lamela's goal-bound volley from outside the area forced Siena goalkeeper Gianluca Pegolo into a diving save.

Midway through the first half Destro sent his right-footed attempt over the bar as another opportunity went begging for the hosts.

Roma goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg then came off his line to clear a dangerous ball with an unmarked Calaio in pursuit and early in the second half denied Destro from 10 yards.

The referee then pointed to the spot after Destro went down under Kjaer's challenge.

Calaio sent his penalty towards the left corner and, even though Stekelenburg guessed correctly he could not get a touch to keep the ball out.

Roma coach Luis Enrique brought on his team's leading scorer Daniel Osvaldo on the hour mark for his first appearance of the year after injury.

However, Siena defended deeply and the closest the visitors got to equalising was eight minutes from time when Fabio Borini's volley from 12 yards was kept out by Pegolo.

Di Natale, Isla injured in Milan game

Udinese have suffered a double blow ahead of Thursday's Europa League last 32 encounter against PAOK Salonika with midfielder Mauricio Isla and striker Antonio Di Natale out injured.

Both players got hurt during Saturday's 2-1 league loss to AC Milan.

Tests done today revealed Isla has ligament damage in his right knee, while Di Natale, who is Serie A's top scorer with 17 goals netted so far, has fractured a toe in his right foot.

The club has not confirmed how long the two players will be absent but they are likely to be sidelined for at least three weeks. 

The Udine-based club are one point behind Lazio in fourth place with both clubs in the hunt for a Champions League position.

Napoli 2-0 Chievo

Napoli won their first Serie A game since January 8 by defeating Chievo at the Stadio San Paolo.

Miguel Britos and Edinson Cavani scored the goals for Walter Mazzarri's men in the first half and Chievo were unable to respond.

The result takes Napoli up to within a point of sixth-placed Roma, giving them a three-point cushion over Palermo, while Chievo missed the chance to pull 12 points clear of the relegation zone.

Napoli took the lead after quarter of an hour with Britos meeting a corner with a powerful header which left Stefano Sorrentino no chance in the Chievo goal.

Chievo's best chance of the first half arrived after half an hour when Sergio Pellissier's shot was saved well by Morgan de Sanctis.

Salvatore Aronica was lucky that the referee did not see him lash out with his elbow and strike Alberto Paloschi in the face as the pair jostled for the ball near the sideline in the 33rd minute.

Five minutes later, Napoli were given a penalty when Sorrentino resorted to desperate measures to prevent Cavani from scoring in open play.

The Chievo custodian had no chance of preventing Cavani from scoring from the spot either as the Uruguayan doubled Napoli's advantage.

Napoli appeared to take the foot off the accelerator in the second half and they were almost punished when Cyril Thereau went close to bringing Chievo back into the game in the 66th minute.

The miss seemed to demoralise the visitors, though, and they appeared more and more resigned to defeat as the minutes passed.

Napoli played down the clock without wasting too much energy to pick up all three points at the San Paolo for the first time since they demolished Genoa before Christmas.

Enrique: We couldn't control the ball

Roma manager Luis Enrique says his team's failure to control the ball resulted in their 1-0 defeat at Siena on Monday.

Siena climbed five points clear of the Serie A relegation zone with the narrow win over a Roma side which set out to take the game to the home team.

However, the visitors struggled at times to break down the home defence and then fell behind to a goal after Emanuele Calaio converted a penalty early in the second half.

Calaio's spot kick turned out to be the match winner in the end as Roma were held scoreless by Siena.

"This was not our night, we made too many mistakes," Enrique told Sky Sport Italia.

"Many of our players were below their usual level.

"We always tried to attack, but if we do not control the ball it leaves us in trouble. It is clear we are still far from having the consistency that we are looking for.

"Siena were great in defence and they closed down very well."

The defeat was Roma's seventh of the campaign and leaves them in sixth position and one point behind Inter Milan who also lost 1-0 in their game with Novara at the weekend.

Ranieri calm on Sneijder future

Inter Milan coach Claudio Ranieri claims Wesley Sneijder has given no indication that he is planning to leave the club.

The Holland international was strongly linked with a move to England last summer, with Manchester United reported to be keen on him.

And speculation now suggests that ambitious Russian outfit Anzhi Makhachkala are readying a big-money raid for the Dutchman.

Their transfer window does not close until the end of February and club officials are said to have been sent to Italy in an effort to thrash out a deal.

They were successful in their efforts to lure Samuel Eto'o away from Inter in August 2011, but Ranieri says there is little chance of Sneijder making a similar switch.

"Could he be on his way to Anzhi? As far as I'm concerned, and I hope the player too, no," Ranieri told Inter's official website.

"I asked him: 'Do you feel you are important for this team? Because you are important for us,' and he replied 'Yes, I'm happy here'.

"He's a champion, he just has to find his rhythm again and we have to work out again how to keep him supplied with the ball, just as he has to work out how to feed our strikers.

"He has told me he is happy here at Inter, so I'm pretty calm."

Lopez delighted by 'dream' Milan goal

Argentinean striker Maxi Lopez has admitted scoring in AC Milan's 2-1 win over Udinese felt like a dream to him.

Milan looked headed for defeat on Saturday after Antonio Di Natale had given Udinese an early lead, but Lopez, on loan from Catania till the end of the season, came off the bench to net the equaliser, before setting up Stephan El Shaarawy's 85th-minute winner.

While he admitted he was happy with his personal contribution, Lopez also emphasised how important Saturday's victory was, especially as it came against one of their title rivals.

"I'm not just content, I'm really happy because scoring for this team has always been my dream," Lopez said on the club's official website.

"This win is important because it gives the team confidence to push forward.

"We have to continue to find momentum and to get the three points one game at a time."

Lopez also paid credit to El Shaarawy, who was a capable replacement for the suspended Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Saturday.

"El Shaarawy is young but he's growing a lot," Lopez said. "And this group is strong. Everyone gives their all when they get on the pitch."

Milan are next in action on Wednesday when they take on Arsenal in the Champions League, before they return to Serie A action on Sunday against Cesena.

Parma vs Juventus Preview

Juventus midfielder Emanuele Giaccherini has called on his team-mates to make Wednesday's rescheduled clash at Parma count as they look to go back to the top of Serie A.

The match at the Ennio Tardini stadium was originally due to be played last month, but was postponed due to bad weather in Parma.

Juve go into the encounter unbeaten and fully rested after their game at Bologna on Sunday was called off because of heavy snow.

Juve sit two points behind league leaders AC Milan, who beat Udinese 2-1 at the weekend.

However, the Turin giants have two games in hand.

"This is a testing period for us," Giaccherini said. "We have two games to recover while we will also be competing in the Coppa Italia this month.

"We will be playing so many games in a short space of time this month and this could be crucial.

"We are ready. We have a good squad and I'm sure everyone will give their all to help the team succeed.

"It's true that Milan are playing a great campaign, but we are only focusing on ourselves and not on others."

Winger Simone Pepe has been rested for the clash with a minor knock, but Juventus coach Antonio Conte welcomes back strikers Alessandro Matri and Mirco Vucinic from injury.

Opponents Parma go into the game on the back of a 2-1 triumph at Chievo.

The Ducale club, coached by Roberto Donadoni, have lost just one of their last nine league games and lie 13th in the standings.

"We are ready to face Juventus," Parma defender Massimo Gobbi said. "They are a fantastic team who are battling for the scudetto.

"But we are doing well and gaining confidence week by week.

"We will need to use the same tactics Juventus will use against us to try to stop them.

"We need to play at a high tempo, fully concentrated and showing plenty of determination."

Inter Milan 0-1 Novara

Novara silenced the San Siro with a 1-0 win over Inter Milan, putting the pressure on Claudio Ranieri as they lost for the third time in their last four games.

Andrea Caracciolo scored the only goal of the game in the 56th minute as Novara completed the double over Inter this season.

They even held onto the win with just 10 men for the last 10 minutes of the game after Ivan Radovanovic was sent off.

After winning their first game back in the top flight against the Nerazzuri in September, they completed the double over their local rivals at the San Siro.

It did not look likely when Wesley Sneijder warmed the palms of Samir Ujkani in the ninth minute, but despite Inter's early attacks, Novara never just sat back and defended.

Caracciolo tested Julio Cesar for the first time in the 22nd minute before almost beating the Inter goalkeeper seven minutes later on another of Novara's interesting counter-attacks.

Inter were claiming a penalty when Andrea Poli went down in the area, but Santiago Garcia timed his sliding tackle to perfection to deny the former Sampdoria midfielder and the referee rightly waved away the protests.

Diego Milito missed the first chance of the second half when he was put through by a fine pass by Esteban Cambiasso.

He turned onto his preferred right foot, but shot straight at Ujkani in the 51st minute.

Novara took the lead five minutes later with an excellent break.

Caracciolo took the ball down well and used Rigoni as a decoy to his right before turning inside and curling his shot unstoppably into the far corner of Julio Cesar's goal.

Inter sent men forward with Diego Forlan introduced as a fourth attacking player, but Novara still found good chances on the break, such as in the 74th minute when Rigoni's teasing cross was pushed out by Julio Cesar just in front of Caracciolo.

Radovanovic was shown a second yellow card as referee Carmine Russo came under pressure from the Inter players demanding punishment for Novara's time-wasting.

But even with 10 men, Novara were able to hold on to only their third win of the season with Sneijder's shot against the crossbar in the 88th minute symptomatic of Inter's day.

Catania 4-0 Genoa

Pablo Barrientos scored twice as Catania claimed their first win of 2012 in style.

Genoa went into the game on the back of two straight wins but found themselves a goal down after just seven minutes through Francesco Lodi's penalty.

Barrientos then netted a quickfire double in the 49th and 52nd minutes, before Gonzalo Bergessio rounded off the scoring 10 minutes later.

Barrientos could have been on the scoresheet as early as the second minute when he fired at goal from Giovanni Marchese's pass, but Sebastien Frey saved.

Catania were given the perfect opportunity five minutes later though when Walter Birsa fouled Alejandro Gomez in the box and the referee pointed to the spot.

Lodi took full advantage, firing the spot-kick into the bottom-right corner.

Another great pass from Marchese played in Gomez after 10 minutes, but he shot wide.

Genoa finally created a couple of chances midway through the half as Bosko Jankovic shot off target, then crossed for Andreas Gronqvist, whose header was saved by Thomas Kosicky.

After 33 minutes Kosicky produced a fine save to keep out Giandomenico Mesto's 20-yard free-kick.

Catania grabbed a second four minutes into the second half when Barrientos fired low into the bottom right - and he added another three minutes later, latching on to Bergessio's pass on a swift counter-attack.

And it was Bergessio himself who added the fourth, latching on to a great long pass from Kosicky and firing past Frey.

Inter slump continues with Novara loss

The pressure mounted further on Inter Milan coach Claudio Ranieri following their 1-0 loss at home to rock-bottom Novara.

The Nerazzurri have now lost three of their last four games, a run which has all but ended their Serie A title hopes and also placed a serious question mark against their chances of qualifying for the Champions League.

Andrea Caracciolo scored the only goal of the game in the 56th minute as Novara completed the double over Inter this season.

They even held onto the win after Ivan Radovanovic was sent off with 10 minutes to go.

Inter owner Massimo Moratti was forced to issue a statement on Thursday denying the club were considering dismissing Ranieri and replacing him with former England boss Fabio Capello.

But this setback leaves Ranieri's side fifth in the table, five points behind fourth-placed Udinese and 11 adrift of leaders AC Milan.

Pablo Barrientos scored twice as Catania claimed their first win of 2012 in style with a 4-0 thrashing of Genoa.

The visitors went into the game on the back of two straight wins but found themselves a goal down after just seven minutes through Francesco Lodi's penalty.

Barrientos then netted a quickfire double in the 49th and 52nd minutes, before Gonzalo Bergessio rounded off the scoring 10 minutes later.

Atalanta hit the post twice but their problems in front of goal continued as they were held to a goalless draw by Lecce.

The Bergamaschi were the better side at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia but could not find a way past Lecce goalkeeper Julio Sergio, although both Guido Marilungo and Federico Peluso struck the woodwork.

The result left Atalanta in 15th place, six points clear of third-bottom Lecce.

The matches between Bologna and second-placed Juventus and Parma and Fiorentina were postponed due to bad weather.

On Saturday, striker Stephan El Shaarawy hit the winner as AC Milan went top of Serie A with a 2-1 away success at Udinese.

It looked like Udinese coach Francesco Guidolin was going to celebrate his first ever victory against Milan after Antonio Di Natale gave the home team the lead in the 17th minute.

Udinese continued to dominate the game against an off-colour Milan, but Maxi Lopez equalised in the 77th minute and 19-year-old El Shaarawy scored eight minutes later.

The win lifted Milan two points above Juventus at the top of Serie A, but the Turin side have two games in hand.

Cagliari climbed into the top half of the table - up to ninth - thanks to a 2-1 win over Palermo at a deserted Stadio Sant Elia.

Mauricio Pinilla gave the home side the lead in the 56th minute, scoring against his former club, and Daniele Dessena doubled their advantage in the 81st minute.

A penalty from Abel Hernandez a minute later gave Palermo hope and the home team had to survive a late onslaught from the Rosaneri before earning the points in front of just a few thousand fans.

Sunday's Serie A Results

Atalanta 0-0 Lecce

Catania 4-0 Genoa

Inter Milan 0-1 Novara

Saturday's Serie A Results

Udinese 1-2 AC Milan

Cagliari 2-1 Palermo

Atalanta 0-0 Lecce

Atalanta hit the post twice but their problems in front of goal continued as they were held to a goalless draw by Lecce on Saturday afternoon.

The Bergamaschi were the better side at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia but could not find a way past Lecce goalkeeper Julio Sergio, although both Guido Marilungo and Federico Peluso struck the woodwork.

The result left Atalanta in 15th place, six points clear of third-bottom Lecce.

Atalanta have found the net just twice in their last five encounters but they started well and almost went ahead in the 21st minute when a bad pass by Lecce defender Massimo Oddo gave the ball to Marilungo.

He surged inside the area and fired a diagonal shot that hit the far post.

Two minutes later and Matias Schelotto's cross towards the far post found Peluso and he smashed the ball onto the post.

Atalanta continued to press forward and in the 36th minute, Julio Sergio kept out Peluso's close-range header from Marilungo's cross.

Before the break, Julio Sergio also did well to save German Denis' 10-yard strike.

Lecce came to life in the second half and almost went in front in the 48th minute but Valeri Bojinov somehow missed the target from just five yards out.

Shortly after the hour mark, Atalanta goalkeeper Ciro Polito made his first save of the afternoon when he parried away Luis Muriel's powerful drive.

Peluso then nodded Maximiliano Moralez's cross wide.

Julio Sergio did well to clear substitute Manolo Gabbiadini's powerful free-kick with six minutes to go as Lecce held on for a share of the spoils.

Napoli vs Chievo Preview

Napoli's season has lost some of its lustre since the turn of the year but a win over Chievo would be a big boost in confidence for Walter Mazzarri's men.

For much of the early part of the campaign, Napoli were contenders to battle for the scudetto.

However, a slump in form in 2012 has seen them drop to seventh place, 16 points behind Serie A leaders AC Milan.

"Against Chievo, we need a victory at all costs, even if we play badly," Mazzarri said. "We are going through a tough spell.

"I want to see the same enthusiasm that we see for our Champions League games in tomorrow's [Monday's] encounter at the San Paolo stadium.

"I ask the fans to be behind us, we need their support."

The Naples outfit have not won since beating Palermo 3-1 on January 8.

Since then, Mazzarri's men have mustered four draws, including last weekend's goalless tie at Milan.

They go into Monday's encounter on the back of a midweek 2-1 defeat to Siena in the Coppa Italia semi-final first leg.

Despite Napoli's struggles, Chievo coach Domenico Di Carlo is not taking them lightly.

"Napoli have great talent," he said. "They have an incredible attack with the likes of Ezequiel Lavezzi, Edinson Cavani, Marek Hamsik and Goran Pandev.

"We will have to play a great game against them."

Chievo were beaten 2-1 by Parma last time out and lie in 14th place, four points below Napoli.

The Flying Donkeys have won just one of their last four games but will be buoyed by their recent record against Napoli.

Chievo have beaten them in their last three league meetings.

The hosts will be without suspended captain Paolo Cannavaro.

Ambrosini hails Milan comeback victory

According to AC Milan captain Massimo Ambrosini, the inspiring comeback win over Udinese has given the team a shot of confidence.

Coming back from being a goal behind, the Rossoneri ended Udinese's unbeaten home record by a 1-2 score-line. Ambrosini tells acmilan.com that the result has given the team more than just three points.

"It was good to win because it shows the characteristics of this team, which is not just great players who can win games with ease, but also a team who can bring home three points that were tough to get." he said.

"A win like this gives us confidence and enthusiasm."

"After they scored, it was a bit complicated, but maybe if they hadn't scored, we wouldn't have taken to the field the way we did in the second half."

Striker Maxi Lopez got his name on the score-sheet for the first time since arriving on loan from Catania. The Argentinean's goal was Milan's equalizer and he expressed his happiness at getting off the mark for the club.

"I'm not just content, I'm really happy because scoring for this team has always been my dream." he shared.

"We have to continue to find wind and to get the three points one game at a time."

AC Milan manager Massimilano Allegri felt the team were lacking a physical presence upfront during the first half, a problem solved by bringing on Maxi Lopez.

"We made a decent start, then the goal made things difficult, because in attack we didn't have any physically powerful players, which reduced potential solutions." the Italian said.

"Maxim Lopez has different characteristics to Robinho and El Shaarawy. As a pointman up front, he did well and I'm happy."

"In the second half, we were a bit more carefree and played with more courage. It means a lot to win in Udine, we've come here from three losses in five games."

AC Milan will be hoping to record another away win when they visit Cesena this weekend

De Sanctis eyes Napoli improvement

Napoli goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis admits his side have not been playing at their best over the past few weeks.

However, the veteran custodian insists all is not yet lost, and believes qualifying for Europe this season should still be regarded an accomplishment.

The Partenopei challenged for the Scudetto for the majority of last term, although they eventually finished third behind AC Milan and Inter Milan.

But while plenty was once again expected of them this season, especially with the likes of Edinson Cavani, Marek Hamsik and Ezequiel Lavezzi, Napoli have been disappointing and are currently 7th in Serie A, 16 points behind Milan.

De Sanctis concedes that Napoli should be aiming to be higher up in the table, although he still believes they can qualify for Europe next season.

"In the last month-and-a-half, we wanted to get higher in the table because we give a lot of importance to the league," De Sanctis told Sky Sport Italia.

"Unfortunately, we could not do it, but we can always secure a place in an European competition for the third year in a row."

Napoli take on Chievo on Monday evening and then travel to Fiorentina on Friday, before they host Chelsea in the Champions League next Tuesday.

AC Milan go top; Cagliari climb

eenage striker Stephan El Shaarawy hit the winner as AC Milan went top of Serie A with a 2-1 away success at Udinese.

It looked like Udinese coach Francesco Guidolin was going to celebrate his first ever victory againstMilan after Antonio Di Natale gave the home team the lead in the 17th minute.

Udinese continued to dominate the game against an off-colour Milan, but Maxi Lopez equalised in the 77th minute and 19-year-old El Shaarawy scored eight minutes later.

The win lifted Milan two points above Juventus at the top of Serie A, but the Turin side have two games in hand.

Cagliari climbed into the top half of the table - up to ninth - thanks to a 2-1 win over Palermo at a deserted Stadio Sant Elia.

Mauricio Pinilla gave the home side the lead in the 56th minute, scoring against his former club, and Daniele Dessena doubled their advantage in the 81st minute.

A penalty from Abel Hernandez a minute later gave Palermo hope and the home team had to survive a late onslaught from the Rosaneri before earning the points in front of just a few thousand fans.

Two of Serie A's Sunday games have been called off by officials because of deteriorating weather conditions in Italy. 

Juventus's match at Bologna and Fiorentina's trip to Parma have both been postponed.

Saturday's Serie A Results

Udinese 1-2 AC Milan

Cagliari 2-1 Palermo

Sunday's Serie A Fixtures

Atalanta vs Lecce

Catania vs Genoa

Inter Milan vs Novara

Parma vs Fiorentina - PP

Bologna vs Juventus - PP

Monday's Serie A Fixtures

Napoli vs Chievo

Siena vs Roma

Cagliari 2-1 Palermo

Cagliari broke into the top half of Serie A on Saturday night thanks to a 2-1 win over Palermo at a deserted Stadio Sant Elia.

Mauricio Pinilla gave the home side the lead in the 56th minute, scoring against his former club, and Daniele Dessena doubled their advantage in the 81st minute.

However, a penalty from Abel Hernandez a minute later gave Palermo hope and the home team had to survive a late onslaught from the Rosaneri before earning the points in front of just a few thousand fans.

Pinilla looked particularly motivated against his former club and he brought a fine save out of Emiliano Viviano in the eighth minute.

Cagliari lost Andrea Cossu to injury shortly afterwards with Victor Ibarbo taking his place - a move that proved to be a blessing in disguise.

Ibarbo brought life to the Cagliari attack, warming the very few fans inside the Stadio Sant Elia each time he touched the ball.

His header in the 22nd minute was saved on the line by Viviano, who also saved the follow-up.

Just before half time, Dessena went close to giving Cagliari the lead, but he was unable to reach Daniele Conti's cross and Federico Balzaretti lifted the ball clear at the far post.

Ibarbo made a telling contribution as Cagliari went ahead in the 56th minute, using his pace to receive a return pass and beat Viviano to the ball, squaring it for Pinilla to slide in and score into the open goal from point-blank range.

Palermo's response was to bring Hernandez on and this also proved to be an inspired substitution.

He nearly beat Michael Agazzi with a low header in the 78th minute before Cagliari lifted the growing pressure with a second goal.

Pinilla's free-kick was only parried by Viviano and Dessena was the quickest to react as he beat the Palermo goalkeeper to his left.

Their joy was short lived, though, as Hernandez's shot was handled in the area by Gabriele Perico at the other end and the Palermo forward stepped up to beat Agazzi from the penalty spot.

Palermo threw everybody forwards, including Viviano for a late corner, but they were unable to find an equaliser.

Galliani: Win worth seven points

AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani claims the club's dramatic win over Udinese on Saturday is worth seven points.

AC Milan go top; Cagliari climb

Udinese were on course for victory against Milan after Antonio Di Natale's 17th minute strike still separated the two teams heading into the final stages of the game.

However, Milan new boy Maxi Lopez equalised for the Rossoneri in the 77th minute before 19-year-old striker Stephan El Shaarawy scored the winner eight minutes later.

The 2-1 win over Udinese sent Milan two points above Juventus at the top of Serie A. The Turin side have two games in hand but Sunday's trip to Bologna has been postponed due to heavy snow.

"Now we're top of the table," Galliani told the club's website.

"The work done by Maxi Lopez and El Shaarawy was worth seven points because 10 minutes from the end we were third in the table. Now until Wednesday we're on top of the league and it was important to put 6 points between us and Udinese and four points between us and Lazio.

"We had 14 players out today and a win in Udine was very important for the morale of the team.

"It's a win that will change the fans' mood as well as the players and the coach's."

Meanwhile, Milan goalscorer Lopez was understandably delighted to have played a part in his new team's comeback win and said it had always been a "dream" of his to score the winning goal for the Rossoneri.