Serie A: Sassuolo sink AC Milan

An automatic Champions League spot may be out of reach for AC Milan after falling to a 2-0 defeat against Sassuolo in week 35 of the Italian Serie A clash.

The Diavolo suffered a 2-0 defeat to Sassuolo when down to 10 men for over an hour due to Fikayo Tomori’s red card, as Domenico Berardi and Armand Laurienté scored.

The Rossoneri would have caught up with Napoli in second place with a victory and consolidated the Champions League spot, but that was not the case on Sunday.

Domenico Berardi marked his return with a goal and victory for the hosts after a two-match break.

Neroverdi had the first chance through skipper Berardi, who confirmed his extraordinary record against Milan to net his 12th career goal against them.

Kristian Thorstvedt punished Jashari in midfield with an interception and hr quickly moved left to right, for Berardi to bend a first-time finish into the far bottom corner with the inside of the left foot.

The hosts had a chance to double their lead a few minutes later, but Mike Maignan made a one-handed save on the M’Bala Nzola counter-attack.

There were penalty appeals turned down by the referee from both teams. The first was a call for a handball, but  Berardi had his arm behind his back.  

Rafael Leao was presented with a golden opportunity, but blasted wide his effort with only the goalkeeper to beat after a defensive error sent him clear on goal.

Milan then suffered a setback when Fikayo Tomori brought down Laurienté on the counter for his second yellow card, leaving his team down to 10 for over an hour.

Sassuolo eventually scored the second within 90 seconds of the restart, as Laurienté completed a give-and-go with Thorstvedt just inside the area, thumping his finish low and hard into the near bottom corner.

Zachary Athekame, Nzola, and Thorstvedt all failed to keep their efforts on target, while both Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Alieu Fadera were booked for simulation in the box.

This result means that a Juventus victory over Verona will make them catch Milan in joint third place, while they have failed to score in five of the last seven games.