Rossoneri goalkeeper Dida sought and obtained forgiveness from the Milan fans before the kick-off for his antics in the Champions League match against Celtic that earned him a two-game ban.

But Empoli striker Luca Saudati was in less charitable mood, as his second-half goal saw Milan slip 10 points behind city rivals and leaders Inter, the Italian champions.

Milan have only won two of their eight Serie A matches this year in a spell club owner Silvio Berlusconi has described as the worst in his 21-year reign.

Alessandro del Piero celebrated his new contract with Juventus with the only goal in a 1-0 win over Genoa.

That lifted Juve second and they held on despite the late sending-off of Pavel Nedved.

Claudio Bellucci struck twice in 12 second-half minutes as Sampdoria secured a comfortable 3-0 win over struggling Parma. Vincenzo Montella also got on the scoresheet.