Milan: Serie A leaders AC Milan took a giant step towards their first scudetto since 2004 after Alexandre Pato’s brace set up a 3-0 win over champions Inter Milan on Saturday in one the most important derbies for years.

Inter, reduced to 10 men early in the second half following Cristian Chivu’s dismissal, would have gone top with a win as they bid for a sixth straight Serie A title but instead now trail their rivals by five points with just seven games left.

Inter coach Leonardo bossed Milan to third spot last term but his attacking tactics in his first game against his ex-side were ruthlessly exposed by Massimiliano Allegri’s men despite the suspension of former Inter striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Brazil forward Pato struck the opener after just 44 seconds when Inter’s shaky defence was ripped apart on the first of several occasions during the game and he grabbed a fortunate second on 62 minutes after Chivu had already been sent off.

Substitute Antonio Cassano earned and netted a late penalty, only to be sent off for a second booking minutes later, but little could steal the gloss from Milan’s triumph after they also beat last season’s treble winners 1-0 in November.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid’s bid to end Barcelona’s two-year reign as La Liga champions suffered a huge setback on Saturday when they slumped to a shock 1-0 defeat at home to Sporting Gijon and Barca won 1-0 at Villarreal.

Barcelona have 81 points from 30 games with Real on 73.