After the final whistle, Stefano Pioli breathed a great sigh of relief. The AC Milan head coach went into the much-anticipated showdown knowing his team needed a minimum of four points from their final two games to secure their first Serie A title since 2011, and the 2-0 win over Atalanta on Sunday ensured it became only one.

With Rafael Leao providing the drive and Theo Hernandez's ruthlessness in front of goal, the Rossoneri will win the Scudetto with a draw at Sassuolo next Sunday. Defending champions Inter Milan, who outclassed Cagliari 3-1 to keep the title race alive, would need to beat Sampdoria and Milan to lose.

Milan showed moments of class throughout the encounter, starting with Leao's blistering pace that prefaced his goal after running onto a ball over the top from Junior Messias. Then Pioli's side put the game to bed as Hernandez picked the ball up in the corner of his own box and beat several defenders along the way before unleashing a marvelous shot into the bottom corner.

The wonder strike sparked wild celebrations at the packed San Siro stadium, and the French left-back knew what the goal meant to Milan. 

"I scored an incredible goal. The credit goes to the whole team and also to the fans," beamed an emotional Hernandez after the game. "It is an incredible evening. It is the most important goal of my life."

 "We are nearly there, we have to give everything, and that's it," he said.

Milan are now unbeaten in their last 15 league matches. They have kept a clean sheet in at least five home games in a row for the first time since 2002. They have picked up 83 points in Serie A this season. In the three-points-per-win era, only in 2005/06 have they achieved more.

However, Pioli refuses to get carried away. There is no margin for error at this time in the season, and the Italian tactician has turned to the late basketball legend Kobe Bryant for inspiration. The 18-time NBA All-Star, who grew up in Italy, was a loyal Milan fan. 

"I showed the lads an interview with Kobe Bryant, who said at 2-0 up in the NBA Playoffs, 'The job is not done. We're not done,'" he told media at a press conference. "We need to maintain that calm and concentration that can, in the end, prove decisive."

"When I took charge at Milan, the team had completely different tactical ideals and concepts, so we had to change everything. Now, the good thing is that the players enjoy making the most of our strengths and preparing tactically, being able to adjust also to limit our opponents," he said.

It is difficult to ignore the specter of what is to come, namely the nail-biting final day of this thrilling campaign. Milan are tantalizingly close to ending their title drought, but Pioli shows no agitation and remains composed.

"In all honesty, the last few weeks have been very normal because I see the attitude of my players; they are smiling, joking, determined and focused when they arrive at the training ground every day. I don't need to worry because I see that focus," he said.

"We had 10,000 fans waiting for us as we drove through on the bus; that obviously fired everyone up. Now we still have a week of work left; then we'll see what happens."