BOLOGNA, Italy: Bologna striker Jens Odgaard scored Sunday in a 1-0 victory over Fiorentina, ending the Florence-based club’s eight-match winning run in the Italian league.

The Danish player broke the deadlock near the hour-mark at the end of a fine collective move.

Fiorentina were seeking a ninth consecutive Serie A victory that would have seen them break the club record set in 1960.

After a balanced first half, Bologna were the better side after the interval and had several occasions to score — including Santiago Castro hitting the post — before they eventually broke the deadlock when Odgaard made the most of a loose ball in the box to score his third league goal.

Bologna moved up to seventh place in the standings.

Fiorentina remained in fourth place, level on points with third-place Inter Milan. League leaders Atalanta have a two-point lead over Napoli.

Fiorentina coach Raffaele Palladino did not attend the match after his mother passed away, leaving assistant coach Stefano Citterio in charge.

Genoa spoils anniversary night at Milan

Facing a combative Genoa team, Milan’s wasteful forward could not break the deadlock in a 0-0 draw.

Alvaro Morata came close in the 79th minute when he hit the crossbar. It was not enough to please a frustrated crowd and players were jeered at the final whistle.

With one match in hand, Milan are lagging 14 points behind Atalanta.

The game was preceded by a ceremony marking the club’s 125th anniversary that brought together former Milan greats, including Franco Baresi, Marco van Basten and Filippo Inzaghi.

Genoa are in 13th place and remains unbeaten under new coach Patrick Vieira.

First win for Como since September

Substitute Alessandro Gabrielloni and Nicolas Paz Martinez both scored in added time as Como beat AS Roma 2-0 in a lively contest.

Gabrielloni, who came in with 10 minutes left to play, scored his first Serie A goal three minutes into stoppage time. Gabrielloni then turned provider for Paz, who sealed the win four minutes later.

It was Como’s first league victory since Sept. 29. With its third win this season, it moved to 16th place with 15 points.

Verona secures much-needed win

Hellas Verona players gave coach Paolo Zanetti some respite with a 3-2 win at Parma.

The result, with goals from Diego Coppola, Amin Sarr and Daniel Mosquera, snapped a four-match losing streak for the injury-hit team.

Simon Sohm scored a brace but it was not enough for Parma. Verona moved one point away from the relegation zone.

Also, Lecce defeated Monza 2-1.

LONDON: Manchester City slumped to a scarcely credible eighth defeat in 11 games on Sunday — this time against Manchester United — leaving Pep Guardiola flummoxed but handing Ruben Amorim a huge boost.
With the spotlight off them, Chelsea moved just two points behind long-time Premier League leaders Liverpool, with a 2-1 win against Brentford.
Wolves sacked Gary O’Neil after a fourth straight defeat while Southampton axed Russell Martin following a 5-0 hammering by Tottenham.
AFP Sport looks at three talking points from the Premier League weekend.
It is difficult to argue that City are now experiencing a full-blown crisis.
Guardiola signed a new two-year contract last month at a point when City had lost four in a row, saying he did not feel he could leave the club at a difficult time.
Now he is facing questions as to how — and when — he can stop the rot after a painful 2-1 defeat to United, who had won just one of their first four league games under Amorim.
Guardiola provided a harsh self-assessment after the defeat, which came courtesy of a Bruno Fernandes penalty in the 88th minute and an Amad Diallo winner two minutes later.
“I’m the manager and I’m not good enough, simple as that,” he said.
Midfielder Bernardo Silva was even harsher, comparing City’s collapse in the final minutes to an under-15s team.
City have matches coming up that look winnable on paper — against Aston Villa, Everton and Leicester — but with every defeat the scale of Guardiola’s task looks more daunting.
Earlier this month Liverpool had a nine-point lead at the top of the Premier League — now it is down to just two.
Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea have won their past five games to close the gap on the Reds, who still have a match in hand.
Liverpool showed impressive strength of character to twice come from behind for a 2-2 draw against Fulham on Saturday despite playing the bulk of the game with 10 men.
But their momentum has slowed, with the Fulham result following a 3-3 draw last week against Newcastle.
Free-scoring Chelsea have taken full advantage, climbing above London rivals Arsenal, runners-up in the past two campaigns, to stake their claim as Liverpool’s main challengers.
The Blues finished last season strongly under former manager Mauricio Pochettino but few expected Maresca to master his brief so quickly.
The Chelsea boss is eager to say they are not in the title race but the table suggests otherwise.
Gary O’Neil and Russell Martin paid the price for their clubs’ Premier League struggles.
Martin’s sacking was announced shortly after a sobering defeat to Spurs, who scored all five goals at St. Mary’s in the first half on Sunday.
Wolves suffered a damaging 2-1 loss to relegation rivals Ipswich at Molineux on Saturday, after which O’Neil said he was struggling to help his team cope with the “real basic stuff.”
Wolves, second from bottom of the table, are five points from safety.
But their plight is not as perilous as that of Southampton, who are staring at an immediate return to the Championship.
Martin departs having taken just five points from 16 games, leaving Southampton nine points adrift of safety.