AC Milan closed to within six points of the Champions League places by beating Palermo 2-0 at the Stadio Renzo Barbera.
Goals from Carlos Bacca and M'Baye Niang ensured Sinisa Mihajlovic's men continued their steady rise up the Serie A table, with Roma, Inter Milan and Fiorentina now firmly in their sights as they seek an overdue return to Europe's premier club competition.
Palermo, meanwhile, remain at risk of being pulled into a relegation battle after losing at home for the sixth time this season.
Milan arrived in northern Sicily buoyed by their 3-0 derby thrashing of Inter and looked very comfortable on the ball during the early exchanges.
Bacca, who was also on target at San Siro on Sunday, made the breakthrough in the 19th minute as Ignazio Abate's low cross met him for an easy tap-in.
The Rossoneri toiled fruitlessly for a while before being handed the chance to double their lead shortly after the half-hour mark.
Edoardo Goldaniga's handball conceded a penalty and French winger Niang made no mistake from the spot.
The fizz went out of the game as an attritional second half wore on and neither side looked like troubling the scoreboard operator.
That was until the 78th minute, when substitute Mario Balotelli, whose last goal for Milan arrived in a Coppa Italia game against third-tier Alessandria, took aim from the edge of the box.
The on-loan Liverpool striker's attempt fizzed over the crossbar but the Rossoneri had done enough to secure a valuable victory.