Despite seeing their fanciful title hopes mathematically ended, AC Milan still needed to sew up their place in next season’s UEFA Champions League. Yet, it was Sassuolo who came flying out the traps, and they stunned the visitors by taking the lead inside five minutes.
A brilliant passing move culminated with Armand Lauriente picking out Domenico Berardi free in space inside the box, and the club legend found the far corner with a brilliant low finish.
Massimiliano Allegri’s side were lethargic at best in the opening stages, and things went from bad to worse for the Rossoneri, when Fikayo Tomori was sent off in the 24th minute following two yellow cards. Both punishments came after sloppy and clumsy challenges, summing up a disappointing first half for the away side with zero shots on target.
Sassuolo replicated their fast start once play resumed after half-time, and were even quicker in notching their second goal, with the ball nestling in the back of the net within 120 seconds of the restart.
The visitors were sloppy at the back, resulting in a turnover that allowed Luca Lipani to whip the ball out to Lauriente on the left flank, and – following a superb one-two with Kristian Thorstvedt – he whipped his finish in via the near post
Milan – who had now conceded more than once for the first time in 11 away league matches – remained poor. Stefano Turati was yet to make a save with an hour played, and Allegri duly reacted with a host of substitutions. But their dismal performance continued, allowing Fabio Grosso’s men to coast through to a third win in five league games.
A surprisingly easy afternoon moves Sassuolo up into the top half of the table, as they aim to notch their third top-eight finish in seven seasons. Meanwhile, Milan will need to pull themselves together before losing their place in the top four, with Juventus able to move level on points this evening, and both Como and Roma breathing down the Rossoneri’s necks.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Armand Lauriente (Sassuolo)
