AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli was delighted with their 2-1 win against Sampdoria.

Milan survived Rafael Leao's dismissal to earn the points.

“We played a good first half and could've scored more goals, but this was a hard-fought victory, we had to grit our teeth down to 10 men and the lads worked hard on every ball. Sampdoria had already held Juventus and Lazio here, so it was by no means easy," Pioli told Sky Italia.

“We had told ourselves we wanted to make fewer technical errors and I think we did that today, so we're on the right track."

“Apart from Leao's foul, I think every time a striker defends the ball and the defender goes down, then he is booked. It's disappointing, I had told him to be careful on the yellow, but he wanted to attempt this move. Never mind, someone else will play."

Leao is suspended against Napoli, while Victor Osimhen is injured for the Partenopei.

“Both teams are missing a lot, but we're missing both Leao and Ante Rebic, so both players who cover that role. We had to play 50 minutes with 10 men, we know there's a big Champions League game coming up, so we'll focus on that first, then see what to do against Napoli.

“Rafa is becoming a decisive figure in our attacking moves, but we have other alternatives and will work something out with different characteristics."