Chievo end leaders Milan's unbeaten run
Serie A leaders AC Milan suffered their first defeat of the season as they went down 3-2 at Chievo on Saturday, while champions Juventus move up to third place after getting back on form with a 1-0 win at home to Udinese.
Carlo Ancelotti's Milan had won four and drawn one of their opening Serie A matches and have a 100 percent record in the Champions League.
But Tuesday's Champions League opponents, French side Lens, will take hope from the defensive frailties shown by Milan.
The league leaders conceded three goals from close range headers as they lost a pulsating match to a Chievo side who look back to the kind of form that made them the surprise package of last season.
Chievo went in front in the 22nd minute when Eugenio Corini floated a free-kick into the Milan penalty area and striker Massimo Marazzina lost his marker and glanced a header past Milan's Brazilian keeper Dida.
Milan midfielder Clarence Seedorf forced a good save out of Chievo keeper Cristiano Lupatelli with a low shot that took a sharp deflection but four minutes after the restart Chievo doubled their advantage.
The Milan defence failed to deal effectively with another high ball from Corini and Paolo Maldini's attempted clearance was headed in by former Milan striker Oliver Bierhoff.
Ukrainian forward Andriy Shevchenko, making his first appearance of the season after a knee operation in August, pulled one back for Milan in the 59th minute with a diving header from an Andrea Pirlo cross.
INTENSE PRESSURE
After surviving some intense pressure from Milan, Chievo restored their two-goals advantage when Federico Cossato headed in a fine Ivano Della Morte cross in the 83rd minute.
Danish international striker Jon Dahl Tomasson gave Milan some late hope with an injury time goal, tapping in after Lupatelli could only parry out a Rui Costa shot.
But a bad day for Ancelotti's side, who were without injured Brazilian Rivaldo, was completed when midfielder Pirlo was sent off for a second yellow card after he was ruled to have dived inside the penalty area.
Juve had drawn their last three league games and suffered a defeat to Newcastle United in the Champions League on Wednesday but will be boosted by a hard earned win over a solid Udinese.
Marcello Lippi's side were without injured strikers Alessandro Del Piero and David Trezeguet and were also forced to reshuffle their midfield and defence due to absences.
After a largely eventless first half, Juve went ahead four minutes after the break when Cristian Zenoni raced on to a long ball from Alessio Tacchinardi and picked out Marcelo Salas with a low cross which the Chilean comfortably converted for his first league goal in over a year.
Udinese's best chance came in the 58th minute but an unmarked Vincenzo Iaquinta headed wide from close-range.
Second-placed Inter Milan host fourth-placed Bologna on Sunday while AS Roma and Lazio meet in the Rome derby.
