Massimiliano Allegri continued to insist that AC Milan's focus this season was on finishing in the top four in Serie A rather than challenging for the Scudetto.
Allegri's comments came after Niclas Fullkrug's 76th-minute winner earned a 1-0 victory over Lecce on Sunday, with the Rossoneri consolidating second place in the division.
Milan are three points ahead of Napoli and three behind Inter, but, perhaps more importantly, they opened a seven-point game between themselves and fifth-placed Juventus.
And after 21 games of their campaign, Allegri's side are assigned a 90.9% chance of finishing in the Champions League places, according to the Opta supercomputer.
"We're halfway to the target that we set ourselves," Allegri told DAZN Italia. "When we are mathematically in the top four, then I can look beyond that.
"But as of today, the quota for a Champions League place is 74 points, while with Inter's form it is going up to 86-88.
"That's just mathematics, where teams are now. If you think they'll average two points per game, that is where they will end up."
Milan had started the season with a home defeat to Cremonese, but have since gone unbeaten in the top flight, winning 12 games and producing eight draws.
Indeed, it is their longest such streak in Serie A since Fabio Capello's era from September 1992 to March 1993.
It did, however, look as though Milan were going to come up short against their relegation-threatened opponents, with Lecce goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone in fine form.
Falcone made five saves at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, but he could do nothing to stop Fullkrug's header, with the Milan striker picking out the bottom-right corner from close range.
This was the sixth goal from a Milan substitute in Serie A this season, more than any other team, and Allegri was pleased he could call upon his bench.
"The most important thing is that with five changes available in modern football, substitutions become decisive," Allegri added.
"At certain moments of the match, a player like Fullkrug brings freshness into the box."
Fullkrug, meanwhile, became the third German player in Milan history to score in Serie A, after Oliver Bierhoff (36) and Christian Ziege (four).
Prior to his goal against Lecce, Fullkrug's last goal in the top five European leagues dated back to last April 5 with West Ham in the Premier League against Bournemouth.
However, he was quick to praise the quality of the assist from Alexis Saelemaekers, with his cross from the byline perfectly picking him out in the box.
"I wanted to come on. Of course, I was ready and waiting to finally come on, and it was a good moment to change because we were attack, attack, attack," Fullkrug added.
"Finally, I got an incredible assist from Ale, and it's a dream for a striker to get an assist like this."
Saelemaekers has now provided three assists so far this season. Only in 2020-21 (four) has he done better in a single Serie A campaign.