AC Milan made sure that they ended 2023 on a winning note by beating Sassuolo 1-0, but they were made to work a lot harder for the three points than they would have liked.
Milan were on top throughout the first half but in truth they didn’t really produce anything too threatening, something reflected in the fact that there were some jeers as the team left the field.
Christian Pulisic proved to once again be the man to score the crucial opening goal as he converted a one-on-one chance not long before the hour mark, and in the end it would be enough to beat a spirited opponent.
It is a much-needed three points just to slightly ease the pressure surrounding the club, while the lead to fifth place has also been restored to five points, while waiting for Juventus-Roma.
Stefano Pioli made one change to the starting line-up from the team that drew 2-2 with Salernitana as Alessandro Florenzi came back into the team to cover Fikayo Tomori’s absence, with Theo Hernandez sliding over to centre-back again.
Milan had the more threatening of the early exchanges with their high press causing Sassuolo issues, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek won the ball back midway in the visitors’ half before unleashing a shot that was blocked.
The sell-out home crowd were up cheering a goal, but it would end up being flagged offside. Tijjani Reijnders let fly from distance on the half volley and Olivier Giroud squared the rebound to Ismael Bennacer who swept home, but the French striker was well beyond the last defender.
Chances continued to come for Milan, and Reijnders was again the man unleashing a shot from just outside the edge of the box though this time he dragged it wide of the near post.
There were a couple of very questionable tackles from Sassuolo players inside the opening 25 minutes, with Lauriente in particular going in with a high boot that caught Christian Pulisic on the shin and left him in pain, while Rafael Leao was also stamped on.
Bennacer seemed determined to mark his 150th appearance for Milan with a goal and he nearly did so midway through the first have after a wriggling run and a shot from 20 yards that skimmed the near side netting.
Mike Maignan did what he has done many times before in finding Leao with a long cross-field ball that seemed to have him in behind, but then a desperate intervention forced a corner.
The offside flag would again deny Milan getting what would have probably been a deserved opening goal just after the half-hour mark when Leao was again slipped in down the left side and he lifted the ball over Consigli, but replays showed he was comfortably offside.
Maignan was called into action for the first time moments later when Milan’s nemesis Berardi hit a curling shot that seemed destined for the top corner before the Frenchman’s wonderful diving tip over the bar.
Seconds after a Florenzi corner was flicked on and Consigli jumped out to claim and deny a Pulisic tap-in, the referee blew the whistle for half-time and there were a few jeers from an impatient home crowd.
The away side appeared to grow in confidence after having reached the break level, and Toljan fired the first attempt of the second half which was thankfully straight at Maignan from a threatening position.
Then it was Milan’s turn to threaten, and Reijnders should have done better when a cut-back and dummy saw the ball roll into his path just inside the box yet his rather tame shot was blocked.
In the 59th minute, Milan finally broke the deadlock against a resilient Sassuolo side. Some nice interplay on the edge of the box saw Bennacer find Pulisic’s run in behind and he did well to dink it over the advancing Consigli, who got a hand to it but couldn’t stop it going in.
A double change came from Pioli a few minutes after the opening goal with Luka Jovic and Yacine Adli brought on to give some energy, while Giroud and Bennacer came off, the latter to a great reception.
Midway through the second half Kjaer had a chance to get a rare goal when his head met an outswinging corner from the right, however he couldn’t direct it goalwards.
Sassuolo went in search of an equaliser and the Rossoneri were again lucky that Lauriente’s shot after a darting run in off the left wing was straight at Maignan, because a few yards either side would have been real danger.
With 17 minutes left on the clock there was a memorable moment for Kevin Zeroli, who made his senior debut coming on for Loftus-Cheek in the mezzala role.
Florenzi has a knack for trying the spectacular and he nearly netted what would have been an exceptional goal with a dipping touch-and-volley from a cleared corner, though it landed on the roof of the net.
Two more changes came inside the final ten minutes, with Jan-Carlo Simic and Samuel Chukwueze coming on in place of Kjaer and Leao.
Chukwueze should have put the game to bed inside the final two minutes of normal time when a corner routine saw the winger found inside the box and he got it on his favoured left foot yet curled narrowly wide of the far post.
