A Samu Castillejo inspired Milan cut the gap to city rivals Inter to just one point on Friday, thanks to a convincing victory against struggling Empoli at San Siro.
The Rossoneri went into the lead when Krzysztof Piatek tapped in from Hakan Calhanoglu's low cross and took a firm grip on the game after Franck Kessie surged through and dinked past Bartlomiej Dragowski.
Castillejo's smart finish from Andrea Conti's cross capped a great win for Gennaro Gattuso's side and pushed them four points clear of Roma, consolidating their position of fourth in Serie A.
Empoli offered sparks in attacking areas but couldn't muster anything to trouble Milan's defence.