Red-hot Milan equal 56-year-old club record after beating Celtic in Europa League

Milan's red-hot form continued as they equalled a 56-year-old club record by beating Celtic in their Europa League group stage opener.

Celtic suffered a 3-1 defeat at home to Milan on Thursday night after a pulsating 90 minutes of end-to-end action.

The Hoops made a strong start to the match but ended up falling behind after 14 minutes when Rade Krunic headed in a Samu Castillejo cross.

The visitors doubled their advantage towards the end of the half via a cool finish from Real Madrid loanee Brahim Diaz, forcing Neil Lennon to shuffle his pack at the interval.

Celtic brought on Mohamed Elyounoussi and Ryan Christie for the second period, which prompted a momentum shift as Milan retreated to try and protect their two-goal advantage.

Their stubborn rearguard was eventually breached in the 76th minute, with an Elyounoussi header giving the hosts hope of a late comeback, but the Italian outfit had the final say in stoppage time.

Lennon's side were caught cold on the break as they pushed for an equaliser, and Jens Petter Hauge calmly slotted the ball past Vasilis Barkas in the Celtic net after being played in by Alexis Saelemaekers.

Milan moved into second in the early Group A standings on goal difference after the result, with Lille going top after earning a 4-1 win away at Sparta Prague in the group's other fixture.

The Rossoneri have now scored two or more goals in 10 consecutive games for the first time since 1964, extending their perfect start to the 2020-21 campaign in the process.

Stefano Pioli has already seen his side storm to the Serie A summit with four successive wins, including a derby victory over Inter last weekend, with a home fixture against Roma up next on Monday.

The seven-time Champions League winners will be back in Europa League action three days later when Sparta Prague arrive at San Siro, before focus switches to a Serie A meeting with Hellas Verona.