MILAN —

AC Milan forward Gonzalo Higuain missed a penalty and was later sent off in a fit of rage on Sunday as his side lost 2-0 at home to Serie A leaders Juventus, the side that sent him out on loan to the San Siro this season.

Mario Mandzukic and Cristiano Ronaldo struck early and late for the Turin side but it was Higuain who stole the headlines for the wrong reasons as Milan dropped out of the top four.

The Argentine, who spent two seasons at Juve and reluctantly left shortly after they signed Ronaldo from Real Madrid, was livid when he was penalized after colliding with Medhi Benatia and was booked for his protests in the 83rd minute.

That angered him even more and he was sent off, having had to be restrained by his teammates as he ranted at the referee and several Juve players, including Ronaldo.

Juve had taken an eighth minute lead when Alex Sandro floated a long cross from the left and Mandzukic outjumped Ricardo Rodriguez to score. AC Milan were handed a chance to level five minutes before halftime after Suso's cross was controlled by Higuain but hit Benatia's outstretched hand.

Milan protested and the referee awarded a penalty after consulting the VAR and viewing the incident on the pitchside monitor. But Higuain's penalty was weak and Wojciech Szczesny tipped it onto the post.

Ronaldo wrapped up the match with his eighth league goal of the season in the 81st minute, firing in the rebound after Gianluigi Donnarumma parried Joao Cancelo's shot, before Higuain lost his cool completely.

Unbeaten Juventus now have 34 points, six clear of Napoli who won 2-1 at Genoa on Saturday with Inter Milan on 25 points in third after losing 4-1 at Atalanta. Milan's defeat meant they dropped out of the top four into fifth place and were replaced by Lazio, who drew 1-1 at Sassuolo.

Real maintain winning

run under Solari at Celta

Real Madrid notched a fourth straight win under interim coach Santiago Solari by winning 4-2 at Celta Vigo on Sunday to move to within four points of La Liga leaders Barcelona.

Karim Benzema gave the European champions the lead in the 20th minute with an irresistible piece of control and finish after a pinpoint pass from Luka Modric.

The Frenchman was then instrumental in doubling the lead early in the second half, firing a shot which squirmed under goalkeeper Sergio Alvarez and over the line off Celta defender Gustavo Cabral.

Real's lead was far from comfortable, though, and Hugo Mallo pulled the home side back into the game with a well-taken volley on the hour mark which preceded a spell of heavy pressure from Celta.

Madrid managed to ride it out and killed the game off as a contest with a late 'Panenka' penalty from captain Sergio Ramos and a thunderous strike from Dani Ceballos in stoppage time, although Brais Mendez struck a late consolation goal for Celta.

The win over Celta saw Real climb to sixth on 20 points from 12 matches in a jam-packed La Liga table, closing the gap after the leaders were left on 24 points with their 4-3 home defeat by Real Betis.

Cavani hits hat-trick as PSG

hammer hapless Monaco 4-0

Edinson Cavani scored a hat-trick as Paris St Germain won 4-0 at hapless Monaco, but the Uruguayan twice needed a little assistance from the video assistant referee as his side cruised to their 13th straight Ligue 1 win on Sunday.

The crushing win, which also featured a goal from Neymar, gives the champions a maximum 39-point haul but leaves Thierry Henry still searching for his first win as coach of Monaco, who are second from bottom on seven points.

VAR also came to Monaco's rescue on two occasions, ruling out goals by Julian Draxler and Mbappe for offside, but they were completely outclassed.

In the day's earlier games, Caen battled to a scoreless draw at Bordeaux to climb past Dijon, who lost 2-0 at Marseille, and out of the relegation zone, while Rennes and Nantes drew 1-1. — Reuters