Sassuolo-Milan

We came from 2-0 down to tie it up 2-2, one of Sassuolo's goals didn't cross the line though.

We've actually played well in this second half, I can see us winning this.

SES is also on the bench, he'll probably make his comeback as a late sub.

Jack sent off, second yellow for handball

lmfao

Red card for Suso

Why do I even keep watching this shit

hmm. man, it's hard to get excited about this team...

A few weeks back, Inzaghi spoke of using the remaining part of the season to blood youngsters. This game is the perfect example of a missed opportunity.

Berardi's a talented player, no doubt. He's an excellent finisher, has a nice touch and shows good movement in the final third. He is however, far from the player we make him out to be every time we stumble into the Mapei Stadium. He often floats through games and doesn't get a great many touches. Despite his talent in front of goal his general game is at times quite lacking however where many other sides in Serie A find it fairly simple to at least restrain him, we give him free reign.

It of course did not help that Lopez gave him all the confidence in the world to rip us apart in this match. We had enjoyed a solid start to the match but lost all of our momentum on the basis of his error. We failed to put pressure on him as he shot, though the situation had come about through an odd bounce but it was a handicap that cost us dearly in the end.

The second goal was nice play from Sassuolo though typically manic from us. Van Ginkel tried to press on having lost the ball whilst no one else reacted and we succumbed to a straight forward ball over the top, which Berardi finished with aplomb.

In much the same way that we had let the momentum shift towards Sassuolo in an instant, we got it back with Bonaventura's wonderful solo effort. It restored a sense of belief that hasn't been on display all to often this season and our eventual equaliser was well deserved from Suso's excellent delivery.

It would not be Milan Vintage 2015 without a spectacular meltdown however. Jack's dismissal was harsh and bizarre, both unnecessary and necessary. It was Milan to a tee and it was all the invitation Sassuolo needed to begin taking us to the cleaners. Berardi, who had been having a field day against Bonera all evening, could have had a hat trick in the second half alone. He received the ball on a platter in front of goal only for Lopez to redeem his earlier error. Only 30 seconds past though before he was denied a clear cut penalty after De Jong's clumsy attempt at a tackle before finally burying the ball in the back of the net having run inside Bonera in the most predictable move imaginable.

Though one could complain that Biondini's shove on El Shaarawy on the box may have merited a penalty and Suso's red card was excessive, we were our own worst enemies in this match and merely lost an opportunity to play youngsters whilst failing to gain a point still.

I shall note a few more interesting points however. At the very least, in Menez's continued absence, we saw an actual plan on how to move the ball forward and work as a team. Honda and Bonaventura were given the freedom to roam around Destro and exchange sides in the build up, whilst Van Ginkel and Poli took turns moving up alongside Destro with the other making the late run when the ball went wide in anticipation of a cross or cut back to the top of the box. We lacked the technique and poise to make more of certain situations however at the very least we saw a clear set of ideas on how to move the ball in Menez's absence which worked fairly well given that we were without proper fullbacks after Abate was forced off at half time.

In terms of individual performances, Bonaventura deserves praise for his excellent goal but a needless early yellow card for dissent ended up having disastrous consequences that cost us the game. Van Ginkel and Poli put in their usual shift of the last few weeks, steady but unspectacular. Poli suffered when put at right back - his epic nutmeg aside - and just as against Napoli when he was forced to cover when we were down to 10 men, we suffered down his side as Sassuolo got runners in behind by overloading Poli who was left exposed on the break.

Bonera failed to push up and starve Berardi of the ball when Sassuolo played the ball through midfield nor was he able to control him when he had the ball facing goal. He was on the wrong side for Berardi's third goal and was nowhere to be seen when Zaza should have added another only to be caught unnecessarily offside. This is exactly the sort of game where a young defender should have been thrown in during a fullback crisis. He would have fared no worse than this travesty.

Alex and Paletta did not cover themselves in glory but it was mostly an average shift. Abate did well against Sansone and made one crucial interception after Berardi and Biondini - let that sink in - exchanged back heels down the wing before Biondini swung in a beautiful cross to the back post where Sansone was waiting. He provided one excellent cross for Van Ginkel as well before going off but wasn't as aggressive in attack as we would hope for.

Destro had his moments but it was simply not his game. A difficult chance fell his way after Consigli saved Honda's initial drive but that was largely it.

This was a game that, with adequate concentration levels and discipline, we would have won. In typical fashion however, when facing supposedly smaller teams, we make mistake after mistake. There were positives to come from our play but it's little compensation. Points dropped now mean nothing. Time lost to give opportunities to youngsters or fringe players like Suso though should mean everything to Inzaghi. Sadly though, his priorities lie elsewhere.