The Brazilian struck in the 82nd minute to give Milan a 1-0 lead, scoring just moments after the home side had hit the woodwork and started to put the Rossoneri under pressure.

The win sends Milan eight points clear of Inter Milan with four games remaining, while Brescia end the weekend five points adrift of safety.

Inter did their best to keep the pressure on with a 2-1 win over Lazio, but it did not come easily as they had to overcome the first-half dismissal of goalkeeper Julio Cesar and come from behind.

Mauro Zarate had given the visitors the lead in the first half, but Wesley Sneijder and Samuel Eto'o got the goals as Lazio also had Stefano Mauri sent off.

The win saw Inter climb above Napoli, who suffered a 2-1 defeat at Palermo.

Despite going ahead after just two minutes with an Edison Cavani penalty, the visitors conceded goals to Federico Balzaretti and Cesare Bovo as they slumped to a second successive loss.

With Lazio losing, Udinese had a chance to move into the top four, but blew it as they suffered a shock 2-0 home defeat to relegation-threatened Parma.

Carvalho Amauri scored in each half to beat Udinese, who had Gokhan Inler sent off in the 22nd minute when he fouled Sebastian Giovinco and then made contact with the referee.

The win sends Parma up to 14th, although they are only three points clear of the drop zone.

Roma kept alive their faint hopes of a top-four finish with a 1-0 win over Chievo that leaves them four points behind Lazio.

Simone Perrotta's first-half goal at the Stadio Olimpico was the difference between the two sides, with Roma twice denied by the woodwork in the second half.

And seventh-placed Juventus failed to match it as they conceded a 95th minute equaliser, letting slip a 2-0 lead in a 2-2 draw with struggling Catania.

Alessandro Del Piero's first-half double - the opener from the penalty spot - seemed to have Juve cruising, but Alejandro Gomez got one back in the 81st minute before Francesco Lodi's stunning late free-kick.

The result lifts Catania one point clear of the drop zone.

Genoa did city rivals Sampdoria a favour in their relegation battle with a 4-2 win over Lecce.

Davide Di Michele put the visitors in front in the third minute, but Genoa hit back with Antonio Floro Flores' goal seven minutes later.

Di Michele restored Lecce's advantage after half an hour, but Rodrigo Palacio brought the home team level again just before the break.

Further goals from Palacio and Floro Flores in the second half sealed Genoa's second straight win at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris to leave Lecce in danger at the bottom and allow Sampdoria to move level on points with the Apulians in the battle for safety.

Samp did that with a 1-0 win over Bari, a result that condemns the hosts to Serie B football next season.

Nicola Pozzi scored the only goal of the match from the penalty spot before the hour mark after Bari's Erik Huseklepp had brought down Andrea Poli inside the area.

Samp ended the game with 10 men after Poli was sent off for dissent deep in stoppage time.

Cesena eased their own relegation worries with a 2-0 away win over Bologna.

Goals from Emanuele Giaccherni and Dominique Malonga at either end of the second half secured the visitors three more crucial points in their battle against the drop.

Alessio Cerci's double earned a welcome return to winning ways for Fiorentina boss Sinisa Mihajlovic away to Cagliari.

Cerci's strikes sandwiched Andrea Cossu's 46th-minute equaliser as all the goals game in a five-minute period around half-time to hand the Viola a first win in six games.