Coming into the contest nine points adrift of the top four in Serie A, the Rossoneri knew a fast start was needed against Fiorentina.
It was the visitors, however, who opened the scoring inside seven minutes when Albert Gudmundsson’s pass across the six-yard box was bundled into his own net by Malick Thiaw.
Milan’s misery was compounded just three minutes later, with Moise Kean firing home from Dodo’s unselfish cut-back for his 17th league goal of the season.
Faced with a two-goal deficit, Sergio Conceicao’s side looked to regain some semblance of composure after a wretched opening quarter-hour.
While Dodo and Gudmundsson went close to extending La Viola’s lead further, it was Milan who pulled one back midway through the first half, as Tammy Abraham swept a superb finish into the bottom corner after neat interplay with Christian Pulisic.
That provided the hosts with a foothold in the match before half-time, though clear-cut chances came at a premium as Fiorentina went into the break ahead.
Armed with the momentum, the Rossoneri came flying out the blocks at the start of the second period, but David de Gea stood firm in the visitors’ goal, denying Abraham, Tijjani Reijnders, and Santiago Gimenez in quick succession with a string of top-class saves.
For all Milan’s pressure, Mike Maignan had to remain alert at the other end, thwarting a low effort from Lucas Beltran, and that save proved to be crucial, with Luka Jovic tucking a cool finish beyond De Gea just a minute later to restore parity.
The frantic nature of the contest showed no signs of slowing down with time ticking into the final 25 minutes, as Maignan denied Kean from close range, while at the opposite end, Theo Hernandez saw a powerful strike repelled by De Gea.
Fiorentina looked the more likely side to score a late winner, and after Kean had another fierce effort saved by Maignan, La Viola thought they’d snatched all three points, only for Dodo’s well-taken volley to be ruled out for offside.
That was ultimately as close as either team came to scoring in the closing stages, as Raffaele Palladino’s side missed the chance to secure a head-to-head league double for the first time since 2001.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Mike Maignan (AC Milan)