MILAN, Italy, Jan 18 (Reuters) - A profligate AC Milan secured a hard-fought 1-0 home win over Lecce on Sunday, with Niclas Fullkrug heading in a late winner to ensure they kept pace in the Serie A title race.
Milan are second in the table with 46 points, three behind city rivals Inter Milan at the summit.
Milan found it hard to break through in the first half, probing patiently without reward, and saw an early effort from Rafael Leao ruled out for offside.
The pressure from Milan continued after the break, but Lecce goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone stood firm, producing a string of outstanding saves, including one stop to deny Christian Pulisic that left the U.S. forward stunned.
The breakthrough finally came in the 76th minute, when Alexis Saelemaekers lifted a delicate ball back from the byline that was met by Fullkrug, who made no mistake with a close-range header for his first goal for the club.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in GdanskEditing by Toby Davis)
