ROME, 31 January 2005 — Champions AC Milan slipped further behind Serie A leaders Juventus when they suffered a shock 1-0 defeat by mid-table Bologna at the San Siro yesterday.

Milan’s second loss in a row, after last weekend’s reverse at Livorno, leaves them on 42 points from 21 matches, eight adrift of Juventus, who won 2-1 at bottom club Atalanta.

AS Roma rose to fourth spot on 33 points as they fought back from two goals down to beat Messina 3-2 at the Olympic Stadium.

Inter Milan can climb to third above Udinese, who lost 1-0 at Parma on Saturday, by beating Palermo in late game.

AC Milan were desperate to keep pace with Juve but struggled to break down a Bologna team unbeaten in five matches.

The home side created all the early pressure, with Andriy Shevchenko heading a Clarence Seedorf cross narrowly wide and midfielder Vikash Dhorasoo having a goal overruled for handball.

Bologna’s tactics were simple - defend deep and hit Milan on the break - and their approach soon paid off.

A swift counterattack in the 27th minute ended with Claudio Bellucci backheeling the ball into the path of fellow striker Tomas Locatelli who lashed it past Milan keeper Dida.

Milan quickly rediscovered their rhythm but 10 minutes before the break they were forced to send on Jon Dahl Tomasson in place of Shevchenko, who left the field limping after colliding with defender Alessandro Gamberini.

Milan continued to create chances after the break. Bologna keeper Gianluca Pagliuca blocked a Hernan Crespo effort, a Cafu shot ran narrowly wide and Theodoros Zagorakis cleared Massimo Ambrosini’s header off the line but the visitors held out.

Juventus, meanwhile, gained revenge over Atalanta, who had knocked them out of the Italian Cup early this month.

Ruben Olivera proved an excellent stand-in for injured midfielder Pavel Nedved when he ran onto a through-ball to lob keeper Massimo Taibi after 23 minutes.

The result was sealed 10 minutes from time when a shove by Atalanta defender Marco Motta on Mauro Camoranesi gave Juve a penalty that Alessandro Del Piero converted. A Lilian Thuram own goal in stoppage time gave Atalanta a consolation but came too late for a comeback.

In the Italian capital, Roma produced a Jekyll and Hyde performance to overcome plucky Messina. They looked a shadow of themselves in the first half as Messina went 2-0 ahead with goals by striker Riccardo Zampagna and defender Alessandro Parisi.

Francesco Totti pulled a goal back in the 56th minute after a knockdown by Vincenzo Montella and four minutes later Totti hoisted a long ball forward for Antonio Cassano to stab home. Roma completed their great escape with eight minutes left when Brazilian midfielder Mancini dribbled into the box, wrong-footed his marker and fired a low shot into the net.

Sampdoria, Roma’s rivals for a Champions League berth, were held 1-1 by struggling visitors Siena, while Dino Zoff’s Serie A debut as Fiorentina coach ended in a 1-0 loss at Cagliari. Lazio are slipping toward the relegation zone after their third league defeat in a row as a last-gasp goal by striker Emiliano Bonazzoli gave Reggina a 2-1 victory.

Bolton Edge Oldham to Reach FA Cup Fifth Round

In London, Bolton Wanderers booked their place in the FA Cup fifth round with an unconvincing 1-0 victory at third division Oldham Athletic yesterday.

Portuguese striker Ricardo Vaz Te headed Bolton’s winner in the ninth minute, but the Premier League club were under pressure for most of the game and rode their luck in a series of goalmouth melees in the second half. Oldham showed the same commitment and harrying which had helped them to knock out Premier League Manchester City in another local derby in the third round.

Celtic Back on Top Thanks

to Sutton Penalty

In Glasgow, Celtic moved back on top of the Scottish Premier League with a 1-0 win at Kilmarnock yesterday thanks to a first-half Chris Sutton penalty.

The striker blasted the ball home in the 38th minute after Kilmarnock’s Danny Invincible handled and that was enough to secure the points in front of 9,723.

The champions now have 62 points from 24 games, while second-placed Rangers are three behind with 59 after they beat basement team Livingston 3-0 at Ibrox on Saturday.