AC Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic prepares to shoot and score his second goal against Cagliari in a Serie A match on Monday at the Sardegna Arena in Cagliari, Italy. Photo: VCG

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice on his first start in two months as AC Milan beat Cagliari 2-0 on Monday to pull ahead of city rivals Inter on top of the Serie A table.

Ibrahimovic, 39, got the first from the penalty spot after seven minutes, adding a second just after the break in Sardinia.

Milan, targeting their first league title since 2011 when Ibrahimovic last played in the team, pull three points ahead of Inter who beat champions Juventus 2-0 in the San Siro on Sunday.

Ibrahimovic proved he has returned to his best after injury, with the club set to sign former Juventus and Bayern ­Munich forward Mario Mandzukic to help their title push.

"Ibra will take care of keeping him [Mandzukic] at bay," joked Milan coach Stefano Pioli. 

The Swede brought his tally to 12 goals in eight games with five doubles, including a brace on November 22 against Napoli, when he picked up the thigh injury which sidelined him.

Milan shook of the absences of defender Theo Hernandez and midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu who tested positive for coronavirus.

The visitors quickly took control of the game after Cagliari defender Charalampos Lykogiannis fouled Ibrahimovic.

Ibrahimovic decided to take the penalty ahead of regular spot kicker Franck Kessie after the Swede had missed twice from the spot twice before his injury.

Cagliari goalkeeper Alessio Cragno cleared a long-range Davide Calabria effort after 24 minutes with the Italy defender hitting the post 10 minutes later.

'One more weapon'

Back after the break Ibrahimovic connected with Calabria's long-range effort finishing off with the goal confirmed after a VAR review.

Milan held their advantage despite playing the final quarter of an hour a man down after Alexis Saelemaekers was sent off for two bookings, 10 minutes after coming off the bench.

Cagliari, just above the relegation zone in 17th position, fall to their fifth consecutive defeat on an 11-match winless run stretching back to November 7.

Milan next play sixth-placed Atalanta to keep their push for a 19th "Scudetto" and return to Champions League football for the first time since the 2013-2014 season on track.

Pioli welcomed the arrival of 34-year-old Mandzukic as "one more weapon."

"I'm happy, the more strong players we have the better," said Pioli.

"I talked to him, he's motivated. Maybe it will take some time for him to get in shape because he hasn't played for a while, but he's a winner."

'I'll go on'

Despite turning 40 this year, Ibrahimovic is thinking about extending his stay at AC Milan beyond this season with talks planned over a new contract, the Swede said last week.

Ibrahimovic joined Milan in December 2019, and signed a one-year extension last summer to carry on in Serie A for another season in 2020-21.

Injury has disrupted Ibrahimovic's campaign, but that has not deterred the veteran striker from believing he can still compete in one of Europe's top leagues into his 40s after a return of 10 Serie A goals from just six starts this season.

"As long as I'm fine, I'll go on," Ibrahimovic said in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport. 

"My contract expires in June and we'll talk about it.

"I didn't want to get trapped in dead-end situations or even trap my club. That's why I signed up for six months on arrival and then renewed. I am for the freedom of choice."

Eyebrows were raised when Ibrahimovic returned to Serie A, where he had already played for Juventus, Inter Milan and his current side between 2004 and 2012, but the Swede insists he picked Milan for a reason.

"I chose Milan because it was the most difficult challenge," Ibrahimovic added. "With all due respect, I see Atalanta in the Champions League and Milan not - I have come to change this situation."