AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti refused to press the panic button after his team's miserable home league form continued on Saturday as the European champions were held to a 0-0 draw at the San Siro by Juventus.
Milan failed to win for the seventh home Serie A match in a row, earning five draws, two defeats, five points and a pitiful three goals in that period.
It is a situation that has become desperate, particularly with bitter city rivals Inter Milan romping clear, unbeaten at the top of the table.
Ancelotti preferred to praise his opponents rather than dwell on his own team's failings.
"They are aggressive, compact, the tightest defense in Italy, they don't concede much," he said of Juve on Sky Sport television.
For Juve, though, it was once again a non-conclusive result against a title rival, following previous draws against Fiorentina, Inter and Roma.
David Trezeguet had the first clear chance of the match for the visitors on 12 minutes but his fierce shot from an angle beat AC Milan's Brazilian goalkeeper Dida, only to crash against the upright and away to safety.
Things began to hot up after the break and Dida parried a long-range effort from midfielder Hassan Salihamidzich three minutes after the interval with full-back Massimo Oddo blocking Pavel Nedved's follow-up.
Milan had the ball in the net on 50 minutes but Alberto Gilardino was offside when he mopped up the rebound from Brazilian playmaker Kaka's rasping effort.
Just passed the hour mark and the visitors should have gone in front but forwards Vincenzo Iaquinta, at the front post, and Trezeguet and the backstick, failed to gamble on full-back Christian Molinaro's wicked ball across the six-yard box.
Milan substitute Filippo Inzaghi sprung the Juve offside trap 20 minutes from time but he rushed his shot from the edge of the area and blasted the ball straight at Gianluigi Buffon when a little composure was needed to break the deadlock.
Juve moved clear of Roma and Udinese in second place on 26 points, two behind Inter, while Milan moved up to seventh on 18 points.
In the day's early game, Sampdoria jumped up to sixth after beating Reggina 3-0 at home.
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