Sassuolo-AC Milan, lacklustre 1-1 draw: a missed opportunity and a step backwards for Amorim

Sassuolo and AC Milan draw 1-1 in a match short on excitement and full of mistakes.

With the international break over, Serie A returned for Sassuolo and AC Milan, but their 6pm kick-off at the Mapei Stadium in Reggio Emilia offered little excitement. All the action behind the 1-1 scoreline came in five second-half minutes. The draw suits Alberto Aquilani more than Ruben Amorim, whose unbeaten side take a significant step backwards after their convincing win over Lecce.

The first half offers little goalmouth action. Gabbia suffers a muscle injury to his hamstrings and leaves on a stretcher, while Leysen is carried off after a twisted knee. Muric denies Goncalo Ramos on the few occasions he threatens, while Maignan reaches half-time without having to make a decisive save.

After the break, Amorim's and Aquilani's substitutions break the deadlock. AC Milan strike first through Rabiot, who drives a powerful left-footed shot from Modric's assist past Muric. The goalkeeper is at fault at his near post. The AC Milan lead lasts only five minutes, however, as Bowie and Thorstved come on and disrupt their defensive balance. Maignan makes two outstanding saves, one from each substitute, but can do nothing about Odenthal's shot from inside the six-yard box following a corner.

Muric and Maignan keep out further efforts after the equaliser, but the pace drops and neither side finds a winner. A draw is the fairest result, though it's the hosts, not AC Milan, who leave the Mapei Stadium smiling. AC Milan's point sees Inter and Lazio move four points clear, while they also fail to draw level with Roma, who drew with Como in the afternoon.

Sassuolo-AC Milan 1-1

Scorers: 63' Rabiot (M), 68' Odenthal (S)

Goals and highlights
71' CHANCE - Pulisic slips a pass through the middle for Chukwueze, but Muric races out to deny him before he can shoot.

68' GOAL - Ramos deflects a low corner into Odenthal's path. It falls to his left foot, and he turns and shoots first time past Maignan. VAR then checks Bowie's position.

66' DOUBLE CHANCE - Milan lose the ball playing out from the back, and Thorstvedt releases Bowie. Maignan dives to save his placed left-footed effort. Laurienté collects the rebound but crosses instead of shooting, and Thorstvedt cannot get enough power on his backheel to beat Maignan.

63' GOAL - Rabiot takes a pass from the left inside the box and hammers a right-footed shot past Muric at his near post.

60' From wide on the left, Goncalo Ramos cuts inside at the edge of the box and curls his shot wide.

59' CHANCE - Gila loses the ball and Sassuolo break. Adzic works it wide to Berardi, who returns the pass for Adzic's run deep into the box. Another mistake from Gila lets Adzic shoot, but Maignan makes an outstanding save. Esposito was alone in the six-yard box.

45+7' CHANCE - Moreira's cross finds Pavlovic completely unmarked at the far post. The centre-back tries to place his header, but Muric denies him again.

45+4 - Inside the box, Moreira takes a pass from Estupinan, turns in a tight space and shoots. Muric stays alert and saves comfortably.

44' CHANCE - Chukwueze whips a cross into the middle, where Ramos rises ahead of Odenthal. Muric saves his header and turns the ball behind for a corner.

43' CHANCE - Gila surges the length of the pitch and picks out Goncalo Ramos's run on the right. The striker cuts inside onto his left foot and fires a powerful shot that Muric punches away.

32' CHANCE - Moreira whips a free-kick from the right towards the near post and finds Rabiot's run. His header beats Muric as he comes out but sails just over.

25' LEYSEN ALSO LEAVES ON A STRETCHER - Pulisic and Leysen challenge for the ball on the edge of Sassuolo's box, and the defender immediately stops, crying out in pain. The medics cannot resolve the Belgian centre-back's problem, and medical staff support him as he leaves with a left knee problem.

18' GABBIA LEAVES ON A STRETCHER - Gabbia stretches to stop Laurientè as he bears down on goal but makes contact with neither ball nor man. He immediately stops with a cry of pain. Medical staff cannot get the injured centre-back back on his feet, and he leaves in tears on a stretcher. Milan have to substitute him.

12' Goncalo Ramos breaks into the box from the right and crosses, but Adzic tracks back and beats Diego Moreira to the ball at the last moment.

4' Gabbia sends a long ball towards Moreira, who has timed his run on the offside line. Muric comes out of his penalty area and heads clear.

0' Kick-off is at 18:00 at the Mapei Stadium in Reggio Emilia

ALL THE INFORMATION, STATISTICS AND MINUTE-BY-MINUTE COMMENTARY HERE

Sassuolo-AC Milan: the match details
Sassuolo 1-1 AC Milan

Scorers: 63' Rabiot (M), 68' Odenthal (S)

Sassuolo (4-3-3): Muric; Van der Brempt (79' Cinquegrano), Caleta-Car, Leysen (27' Odenthal), Doig; Bakola, Matic (79' Lipani), Adzic (61' Thorstvedt); Berardi, Esposito (61' Bowie), Lauriente.
Substitutes: Satalino, Turati, Cande, Walukiewicz, Volpato, Ghion, Skjellerup, Dominguez, Obrador, Sulemana.
Manager: Aquilani.

AC Milan (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Gila, Gabbia (17' De Winter), Pavlovic, Estupinan (46' Modric); Musah (79' Jashari), Rabiot; Chukwueze (85' Hutchinson), Pulisic (79' Cisse), Moreira; Ramos.
Substitutes: Bouyer, Torriani, Loftus Cheek, Diawara, Modric, Hutchinson, Tomori, Comotto, Bartesaghi, Terracciano F., Camardo.
Manager: Amorim.

Referee: Fourneau
Booked: Estupinan (M), De Winter (M), Ramos (M), Pavlovic (M), Thorstvedt (S)
Sent off: -