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There was late drama as Sampdoria ended AC Milan's hopes of winning the Serie A title while boosting their own chances of playing in next season's Champions League with a 2-1 win in Genoa on Sunday.

Giampaolo Pazzini scored the winner two minutes into injury time as the hosts came back from a goal down to beat the seven-time European champions, who had been reduced to 10 men eight minutes into the second half.

Milan are now six points behind leaders Inter Milan with four games left and could find themselves seven points off the top if Roma beat city rivals Lazio in Sunday's late game.

Sampdoria's win means they are now fourth, the final Champions League qualification position, and two points ahead of fifth-placed Palermo, who drew 2-2 at Cagliari.

Napoli are sixth after a 2-1 win at Bari but five points behind Samp.

With Inter beating Juventus 2-0 on Friday night, Milan knew they had to win to stand any chance of remaining involved in the title shake-up.

The visitors took a 20th-minute lead when striker Marco Borriello rose in the box to head a Mancini corner past former Milan goalkeeper Marco Storari.

Just three minutes later Milan had a gilt-edged opportunity to double their advantage as Borriello returned the favour for Mancini, teeing him up in front of an open goal only for the Brazilian to send his shot high into the sky.

Sampdoria were enjoying plenty of pressure and possession without creating many clear-cut chances, although enigmatic forward Antonio Cassano was marginally off target with a header.

It was he who earned and converted the 54th-minute penalty that restored parity, as Daniele Bonera was dismissed for a foul on the errant playmaker, who dusted himself down and converted from 12 yards.

Down to 10 men and having lost one of his centre-backs, Milan coach Leonardo was forced into a change, bringing on full-back Massimo Oddo for winger Mancini, having also been forced into replacing injured midfielder Massimo Ambrosini with full-back Gianluca Zambrotta early in the second period.

It meant Milan were now playing a 4-3-2 but with a full-back and a defensive midfielder in the middle of the park.

And yet they came agonisingly close to scoring as Gennaro Gattuso brought a fine save out of Storari and Borriello squandered what looked a certain goal, put on a plate by Ronaldinho, by weakly slicing wide with the goal gaping.

But after that little flurry, Samp regained control and Pazzini popped up in injury time to head home, giving goalkeeper Dida no chance.

Palermo staged a remarkable late fightback in Sardinia to keep alive their Champions League hopes.

Andrea Cossu had given Cagliari a first-half lead and when Brazilian Jeda doubled that advantage three minutes from time all seemed over for the Sicilians.

But a minute later Fabrizio Miccoli pulled a goal back and Uruguayan teenager Abel Hernandez equalised five minutes into injury time.