by RUN OF THE MIL SERIE A champions AC Milan were thumped 5-2 in a fiery home game with Sassuolo that dealt their Champions League hopes a blow.
Tempers flared in Milan with 11 yellow cards shown, seven to the hosts and four for the visitors.
AC Milan were thumped 5-2 in a fiery home game
The title holders are fourth in the league with 38 points, one ahead of Lazio and Roma, who play later on Sunday.
Milan are still in a Champions League qualification spot but have a game in hand over their rivals.
Meaning whoever wins between Lazio and Roma will leapfrog them while both have a better goal difference.
Olivier Giroud thought he had given Milan the lead in the eighth minute, but his celebrations were cut short after being ruled offside by VAR.
Sassuolo’s first goal came against the run of play after 19 minutes when Domenico Berardi sent a cross into the box and an unmarked Gregoire Defrel tapped in.
Davide Frattesi doubled the lead two minutes later when he hammered a low shot into the net.
Giroud pulled one back for Milan in the 24th minute, heading Davide Calabria’s cross into the top corner, but Berardi quickly restored Sassuolo’s two-goal lead.
Ante Rebic had a good chance to get a goal in first-half stoppage time, but Sassuolo keeper Andrea Consigli saved his volley.
Their woes continued in the second half when Armand Lauriente converted a penalty two minutes after the interval, and Matheus Henrique added the fifth 11 minutes from time.
Milan had their second goal ruled offside by VAR in the 54th minute when a set piece found an unmarked Rebic inside the box, who tapped it in the net.
Divock Origi grabbed Milan’s second goal with a well-placed strike from the edge of the box in the 81st minute.
It leaves the Italian giants winless in four league matches, beaten in their last two.
And they also came away with the unwanted record of conceding four goals in successive Serie A games for the first time in their history.
AC Milan sunk to defeat against Sassuolo
