7 hours ago
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AC Milan threw away more valuable points on Sunday afternoon as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Sassuolo at San Siro.
Things started terribly for Milan as Ismael Kone put the away side into the lead, but a Davide Bartesaghi brace turned the game on its head and looked to have the Rossoneri heading towards securing top spot for another week.
However, Armand Lauriente came off the bench to equalise inside the final 20 minutes and the points were shared. It is yet another frustrating result for Milan, after previously dropping points to Cremonese, Parma and Pisa.
Massimiliano Allegri made one change to the starting line-up from the team that came from two goals down to beat Torino on Monday night, with Rafael Leao missing out due to the injury he picked up in the first half.
Milan started the game on the front foot and pressed high up the field, but Alexis Saelemaekers was guilty of being a bit over-enthusiastic with his first challenge of the game, scything down Muharemovic as he tried to play out and earning a yellow card.
Sassuolo took the lead inside the 13th minute with what was their first moment of danger. It was a goal of real quality from Kone who – after a give-and-go on the edge of the box – surged past Matteo Gabbia and lifted the ball over Mike Maignan from a narrow angle.
The first yellow cards of the game came around the midway point of the first half. Ruben Loftus-Cheek was booked for a challenge on Matic, while Fadera was given a yellow card for bringing down Strahinja Pavlovic in open play.
Milan really should have got themselves back level just before the half-hour mark when Adrien Rabiot successfully won the ball back off his man right on the edge of the Sassuolo box, taking a touch to set himself up but shooting straight at Muric. He then had a follow-up attempt after Christopher Nkunku had squared to him, but the offside flag went up.
In the 34th minute, Milan got themselves level and it was a special moment for Davide Bartesaghi, who got his first ever goal for the senior side. The feed came from Loftus-Cheek, who hit a low cross-shot that fizzed across the edge of the six-yard box, and the wing-back arrived at the far post to fire into almost an empty net.
Within two minutes of the restart, Milan went ahead and it was Bartesaghi who got his second of the afternoon. Rabiot fired the ball into Christopher Nkunku, who laid it off to the wing-back as he made a run into the box. The shot was aimed at the near post rather than across goal, and it snuck in thanks to a very precise finish.
There was a moment of panic when Matteo Gabbia appeared to jam his knee when making a defensive intervention and went down in pain. He managed to play on for a few minutes before being replaced by Koni De Winter.
Milan thought that they had made it 3-1 just a few minutes before the hour mark when Strahinja Pavlovic rose highest to head towards the far corner and Pulisic bundled in the rebound, however it was disallowed for an apparent push in the build-up.
The Rossoneri had the ball in the back of the net once again when Rabiot poked in from just a couple of yards out, though the offside flag went up and – after a lengthy VAR review – the decision was upheld. There were question marks about whether the ball was going in anyway and if the Frenchman needed to add a touch.
Another change came in the 73rd minute, with Pulisic making way for Samuele Ricci. That saw Loftus-Cheek partner Nkunku in the front two.
After having come off the bench, Lauriente drew Sassuolo level in the 76th minute. It was a lovely give-and-go with Pinamonti on the left side of the box, and the winger curled inside the far post with a precise finish having got past Fikayo Tomori.
Sassuolo pushed forward in search of a winner, and wanted a penalty after Lauriente went down under a challenge from Tomori at the far post, after a Rabiot giveaway in a dangerous area had invited pressure from the cross.
It continued to be the away side with the momentum, and Lauriente was again at the heart of the danger, leading a breakaway with a couple of minutes left and rattling the base of the post with a fierce shot.
As the clock struck 90, Allegri made two more changes as Alexis Saelemaekers and Bartesaghi were withdrawn for Zachary Athekame and Pervis Estupinan.
There was a final chance for Milan right at the end of six minutes added when a low cross was flicked by Nkunku and looked to be heading inside the far post but it just drifted wide.
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