Soccer Football - Serie A - Hellas Verona v AC Milan - Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi, Verona, Italy - March 17, 2024 AC Milan players celebrate after the match REUTERS/Ciro De Luca
VERONA, Italy (Reuters) -Second-placed AC Milan won 3-1 at Hellas Verona with goals by Theo Hernandez, Christian Pulisic and Samuel Chukwueze to move three points clear of Juventus in third after the Turin side were held 0-0 at home to Genoa in Serie A on Sunday.
Milan are 13 points behind runaway leaders Inter Milan, who host champions Napoli later on Sunday.
Milan had the chance to open the scoring four minutes into the contest at the Marcantonio Bentegodi Stadium when left back Hernandez's free kick found Fikayo Tomori, who sent the ball wide.
Hernandez went on to open the scoring just before halftime when he drilled home the ball from a tight angle after forcing his way through the Verona defence.
Milan's joy soon turned into disappointment when the Frenchman received a yellow card for his celebration towards the crowd, with him now missing their next league game at Fiorentina on March 30.
Hernandez has four goals and 10 assists in 37 appearances across all competitions this season.
Pawel Dawidowicz's error in the set-up led to Pulisic doubling Milan's lead at the start of the second period when he pounced on a rebound to net from close range.
The American winger's strike took Milan's tally to 5,000 goals in Serie A, with only Juve and Inter reaching that mark before.
Tijjani Noslin gave Verona a lifeline with a thunderous strike in the 64th minute but any hopes of a comeback were killed by Milan substitute Chukwueze, who volleyed home in the 79th to seal the victory for the visitors.
Milan boss Stefano Pioli was delighted with his side's display.
"I think our performances have been very positive for several months now, we are getting very good results," he said.
Pioli said his team still had a lot to offer despite the gap with rivals Inter at the top of the league.
"This season can still give us a lot, we have to be ready for this intense end to the season; between the Cup and Serie A we want to do our best every time," he added.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris and Clare Fallon)
