Christian Pulisic delivered a goal and an assist, while Santiago Gimenez netted twice, propelling AC Milan to a vital 3-1 home victory over Bologna on Friday and sustaining their aspirations for European competition next season.

This result propelled Milan to eighth place with 60 points, trailing Juventus in fourth by three points; Juventus, on 63 points, will face sixth-placed Lazio, also on 63 points, on Saturday. Bologna holds seventh with 62 points. The top four teams secure Champions League spots, while fifth and sixth qualify for the Europa League and Conference League, respectively.

The match served as a preview for Wednesday's Coppa Italia final, where both teams will clash again at the historic Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

With this win, Milan has collected 22 points from losing positions this season, surpassed only by Atlético Madrid's 23 points across Europe's top five leagues.

"From tomorrow, we will begin preparing for the Coppa Italia. We must learn from our successes and shortcomings tonight, as there were both positives and negatives," Milan head coach Sergio Conceicao told Sky Sport Italia.

"I anticipate changes in both teams, but in a final, the team that doesn't play the most polished football can still emerge victorious," he added.

Milan faced an early setback when defender Fikayo Tomori suffered a heavy collision in the opening minutes, hitting his head against a Bologna player. The English defender appeared disoriented and was substituted shortly after, possibly due to a head injury.

The hosts dominated the first half, with Pulisic and Luka Jovic creating opportunities, though they failed to score. Bologna countered effectively, but the teams entered halftime scoreless.

Riccardo Orsolini broke the deadlock four minutes into the second half, cutting in from the right and firing a low shot into the corner to give Bologna the lead.

Gimenez leveled the score in the 73rd minute with a composed finish, assisted by Pulisic inside the box.

The Argentina-born Mexican international had a goal disallowed two minutes later, but Milan's pressure continued. It paid off four minutes after that, with Pulisic involved again.

Joao Felix's shot in the 79th minute was blocked, but the rebound fell to Pulisic, who calmly slotted it home from 12 meters.

Gimenez sealed an impressive performance in stoppage time, creating space in the box to score his second goal and Milan's third.