Joao Felix scored on his debut and Tammy Abraham netted a double against his parent club to earn AC Milan a 3-1 win over AS Roma in their Coppa Italia quarter-final tie at the San Siro on Wednesday.
AC Milan, five-times winners of the Coppa Italia, will meet either Inter Milan or Lazio in the two-legged semi-final.
Abraham, who joined AC Milan from Roma in August on a season-long loan deal, put the hosts in front in the 16th minute before punishing his old teammates again three minutes before the break.
Roma substitute Artem Dovbyk pulled one back nine minutes into the second half, before Felix came off the bench and netted in the 71st minute, two days after his arrival on loan from Chelsea.
After a cagey opening to the tie, it was AC Milan who struck with their first real chance.
Roma keeper Mile Svilar parried a ferocious Tijjani Reijnders shot, the ball fell to Theo Hernandez who sent a cross back across the area and Abraham hung in the air before steering his header into the far corner.
The goal brought Roma out of their shell, with AC Milan keeper Mike Maignan denying both Eldor Shomurodov and Paulo Dybala, while Niccolo Pisilli went closest for the visitors, but his header bounced off the crossbar and away to safety.
AC Milan were clinging to their lead, but struck against the run of play after regaining possession in midfield.
Hernandez drove forward before rolling the ball out to Abraham all alone just outside the box, with time to close in on goal before driving his shot past the onrushing keeper
“Everybody knows how I feel about Roma, it’s a club that means a lot to me. It wasn’t nice,” Abraham told broadcaster Mediaset after he was booed by the away fans.
“I think they thought I celebrated but I didn’t celebrate, I was just thanking God. This is football, it happens.”
Roma made three changes at the start of the second half, and that decision paid off when Dovbyk put his side back in the game.
Angelino’s cross took a wicked deflection off AC Milan defender Kyle Walker and Dovbyk was at the back post to poke the ball home from close range.
AC Milan coach Sergio Conceicao responded by sending on two deadline day signings, Felix and Santiago Gimenez, and the new arrivals combined to double the lead.
Gimenez played the perfect pass through to Felix who beat the offside trap to find himself one-on-one with the keeper and he calmly chipped the ball over Svilar.
Reijnders headed the ball into his own net but Roma’s joy was short-lived with the goal chalked off for an offside in the build-up.
Roma kept on pushing but AC Milan, winners of the Italian Super Cup last month, remain on target for more silverware.
