AC Milan held to 1-1 draw at Sassuolo as unbeaten Serie A start survives scare

AC Milan remain one of just four teams yet to lose in Serie A this season, but Ruben Amorim's side were made to dig deep to protect that record in a 1-1 draw with Sassuolo at the MAPEI Stadium.

Adrien Rabiot put Milan in front just after the hour with a brilliant strike, only for Cas Odenthal to swiftly cancel it out and ensure the points were shared. The result leaves Milan on 12 points and still in the mix at the top, though they have now drawn three of their last four league games.

A slow-burning first half

The game took some time to spark into life. Darryl Bakola blazed a long-range effort over early on, before Vasilije Adzic and Armand Lauriente also failed to hit the target for the hosts. Rabiot glanced a header clear of the crossbar after the half-hour mark, but Milan turned up the pressure during nine minutes of first-half stoppage time.

Diego Moreira improvised a volley under pressure, which goalkeeper Arijanet Muric pushed away, and the shot-stopper also smothered Strahinja Pavlovic's far-post header. Milan saw a penalty shout waved away after Duje Caleta-Car appeared to drag down Goncalo Ramos, who then curled a speculative effort wide from the left. The first shot on target did not come until the 43rd minute, courtesy of Ramos.

Modric turns the tide, but Odenthal strikes back

It was Luka Modric's half-time introduction that helped turn the tide, as he linked up a lovely Milan move before threading the ball into Rabiot, who rifled in a tight-angled effort from the left of the box in the 63rd minute. Sassuolo responded well, with Mike Maignan making a double save to keep out Kieron Bowie and Kristian Thorstvedt, who will feel he should have done better with his backheel flick.

But Odenthal restored parity five minutes later, squeezing his poked shot through the crowded box from a corner. Sassuolo then thought they had found an 88th-minute winner when Thorstvedt fired in from close range, but the referee's whistle had already gone after Ramos went down under a challenge from Bowie.

Maignan forced to full stretch as Milan cling on

While the first half was a slow burn, the second finished at a high tempo, with Maignan having to be at full stretch to deny Thorstvedt and ensure Milan left with a point. Both sides eventually finished with 11 shots apiece, while Sassuolo only narrowly edged the expected goals (xG) battle 1.2 to 1.17.

Rabiot's form and the substitute threat

Rabiot is now Milan's joint-top scorer this season with three goals. Only Roma's Donyell Malen (six) has registered more goal involvements than the Frenchman (five – three goals, two assists) in Serie A this season.

But Milan were never safe when Alberto Aquilani turned to his bench. Sassuolo have now scored five goals via substitutes, while Milan have conceded three goals from players who have entered the fray off the bench. While Amorim would have wanted to walk away with a win, the point keeps Milan's unbeaten start intact – even if it came with a scare.