Sassuolo vs. AC Milan: Winners and Losers from Serie A

AC Milan’s 12-match unbeaten run came to an abrupt end on Sunday afternoon, as they lost 2-0 away to Serie A top-six hopefuls Sassuolo.

For the third consecutive campaign, the Rossoneri left the Mapei Stadium defeated. This latest loss was a significant blow to the club’s hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

Milan started brightly, threatening their hosts with incisive counter-attacks only to be thwarted by opposition goalkeeper Andrea Consigli, who made several important saves in the early going.

However, on 27 minutes, Alfred Duncan met an in-swinging, low Domenico Berardi corner to fire Sassuolo into the lead. The goal came against the run of play and completely changed the complexion of the game.

From there on, Milan had to attack rather than counter, and forced to take the front foot in search of an equaliser, they opened up to a dangerous Neroverdi side packed full of pace and movement.

Eusebio Di Francesco’s Sassuolo bossed the second half, who grabbed a second through Nicola Sansone on 72 minutes to seal victory and extend their winning run to three straight games. Consequently, they moved to just three points behind Milan in sixth.

Here are our winners and losers from a crucial game in the race for European football.

Winner: Nicola Sansone (Sassuolo)

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Sansone was bright and inventive throughout for Sassuolo, causing problems with his direct running committing Milan defenders.

The Italian international has been underwhelming for much of this season but he was at his best on Sunday, making three key passes, per WhoScored.com, and scoring his side’s second to confirm the win.

After the game he told the press, per Football Italia, "Our dream is the Europa League. There's still a long way to go, but we're not giving up on anything."

With Sansone in this sort of form, a top-six finish certainly isn't beyond Sassuolo.

Loser: Cristian Zapata (Milan)

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After a positive February, Cristian Zapata reverted to his poor early-season form on Sunday afternoon.

The Colombian centre-back struggled to deal with the movement and speed of Sassuolo’s attack, while his distribution was also poor.

He was replaced by Alessio Romagnoli on 68 minutes and—on this form—he is unlikely to recapture his place in the starting lineup in the near future.

Winner: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Milan)

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After a positive start, Milan found themselves under the cosh for large swathes of their clash with Sassuolo and, were it not for Gianluigi Donnarumma, could have lost by a greater margin.

The 17-year-old goalkeeper put in a stolid showing to block and parry strikes from the home side’s main attacking threats, Berardi and Sansone.

Recently, Il Quotidiano Sportivo (h/t Football Italia) reported that the youngster is set to “be gifted a three-year Milan contract,” and judging from displays like these, it would be an intelligent bit of business by the Rossoneri.

Loser: Gregoire Defrel (Sassuolo)

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Despite looking sharp for much of Sunday’s match, Sassuolo’s French striker Gregoire Defrel ruined his own day by getting sent off in the second half for two yellow-card offences.

Going into the clash with Milan, he had scored four goals in his last three starts, but that run of form is now over thanks to an imminent suspension.

His absence could offset his recent improvement and will also temporarily reduce Sassuolo’s attacking threat.

Winner: Sime Vrsaljko (Sassuolo)

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Sassuolo right-back Sime Vrsaljko was excellent on Sunday, aiding his side to victory over Milan. The 24-year-old Croatian put in a sound defensive effort to make four tackles, four interceptions and five clearances, though his attacking verve was even more noticeable.

He made an incredible 12 crosses, four of which were accurate, and claimed an assist by setting up Sansone for the Neroverdi’s second goal. For all of this he was awarded WhoScored’s man-of-the-match award with an 8.54 rating.

Here, Vrsaljko once again showed why he is widely regarded as one of Serie A’s best full-backs.

Losers: Carlos Bacca and Mario Balotelli (Milan)

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During midweek, Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi stated that he felt “it’d be difficult for Carlos Bacca and Mario Balotelli to play together,” per Il Vero Milanista (h/t Football Italia).

On the basis of the pairing’s lacklustre showing against Sassuolo, he may just be right.

Both strikers appeared isolated and disconnected during the match, in which they had just 48 touches combined. For context, that tally was 14 touches less than Berardi’s sole total, per WhoScored.

Balotelli was substituted after just 54 minutes, in which he failed to record a single touch in the opposition penalty area, according to Opta Paolo. The time available to him to form an effective partnership with Bacca is fast running out.

Winner: Francesco Acerbi (Sassuolo)

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Balotelli and Bacca were not helped in their quest to breach Sassuolo’s defensive line by Francesco Acerbi. The centre-back departed Milan in 2013 having failed to make the grade, but he has turned his career around at the Mapei.

According to Squawka.com, only three players have performed better than he in Serie A this season: Gonzalo Higuain, Lorenzo Insigne and Paulo Dybala. Against Milan, he showed why he is ranked alongside such esteemed company.

As part of a high back-line, his composure and reading of the game were crucial to cutting out Rossoneri attacks, something he did frequently, making eight interceptions, per WhoScored.

Acerbi’s quality was clear for all to see, just as it has been all season. On these displays, it’s a wonder why Milan gave him such short shrift.