AC Milan strolled to a 3-0 victory over 10-man Lecce on Saturday, solidifying their hold on second place in Serie A. Meanwhile, AS Roma secured a vital 1-0 win against local rivals Lazio, enhancing their chances of qualifying for the Champions League.Early goals from Christian Pulisic and Olivier Giroud, along with Rafael Leao's well-taken finish just before the hour mark, ensured Milan's comfortable triumph. The result sees them trailing league leaders Inter Milan by 11 points, with Inter set to face struggling Udinese on Monday.With the Serie A title seemingly out of reach, Stefano Pioli's Milan side is on the brink of securing Champions League qualification. They currently hold a nine-point lead over third-placed Juventus, having secured their seventh consecutive victory across all competitions.Juventus, who have amassed just seven points from their last nine league matches, will host Fiorentina on Sunday. Ahead of their match, the Turin giants face the possibility of slipping to fourth place should Bologna secure a victory against Frosinone.Milan's straightforward win at the San Siro also serves as ideal preparation for their upcoming Italian derby in the Europa League quarter-finals against Roma."We feel good, we played the game as we'd planned it in training... now we need to think about the Europa League quarter-final which is a completely different type of match and a big objective for both teams," Pioli told DAZN. Lecce remains in 13th place, maintaining a four-point cushion above the relegation zone, but they were left infuriated by two critical decisions that contributed to their significant defeat.Nikola Krstovic was left in disbelief after receiving a straight red card just before half-time for inadvertently making contact with Samuel Chukwueze with his studs.Even before Krstovic's expulsion, Lecce was already facing a daunting task, with Christian Pulisic's deflected strike putting Milan ahead within five minutes. Olivier Giroud then doubled the lead with a header from Yacine Adli's corner 14 minutes later.Milan's dominance continued as Rafael Leao added a third goal in the 57th minute. Meanwhile, Lecce's Pontus Almqvist found himself on the ground, having been initially barged by Theo Hernandez before accidentally colliding with the left-back's knee.Lecce's owner, Saverio Sticchi Damiani, was seen sarcastically applauding from the stands as Milan's fans celebrated Leao's sixth league goal of the season.In another match, Daniele De Rossi's Roma secured their first local derby victory in over two years, cementing their fifth position in Serie A standings for another week. They now sit five points ahead of Atalanta, who are set to play Cagliari on Sunday and still have a game in hand.Serie A is currently leading the race for an additional spot in next year's Champions League, potentially allowing Roma to qualify for Europe's elite club competition for the first time since 2018 with a top-five finish.Gianluca Mancini sealed Roma's bragging rights in the capital city with a powerful header three minutes before half-time at the Stadio Olimpico. Mancini's fifth goal of the season, from Paulo Dybala's corner, secured a well-deserved victory for Roma, prompting both players to celebrate with jubilant fans by jumping into the stands."My heart's still thumping... I'm the happiest man in the world," said Mancini to DAZN."We hadn't won a derby for a long time so this is for them (the fans), they deserve it. The goal is a great feeling once the game is over but the important thing was making sure we got the points."Former Roma captain De Rossi secured his first victory in the Rome derby as a coach on his debut, breaking a streak of four winless encounters under his predecessor Jose Mourinho.Despite being the nominal hosts, Roma could consider themselves unfortunate not to have secured a more convincing victory, having created numerous opportunities. Stephan El Shaarawy came close to scoring but struck the post shortly after half-time.De Rossi's confidence was further bolstered by the return of England international striker Tammy Abraham. Abraham made his first appearance since recovering from knee ligament injury sustained at the end of the previous season, replacing Dybala with 11 minutes remaining.Lazio currently trails Roma by nine points in seventh place and faces the risk of being overtaken in the standings this weekend. Napoli, Fiorentina, and Torino have the chance to leapfrog Lazio as they face Empoli in Saturday's late match.(With AFP inputs)