AC Milan 6-1 Sassuolo: Five things we learned – Leading lights and opportunities grabbed | OneFootball

AC Milan made sure of their progress into the quarter-final stage of the Coppa Italia in emphatic fashion, beating Sassuolo 6-1 at San Siro.

Some eyebrows were raised when Paulo Fonseca made eight changes to the starting line-up from the team that beat Empoli, giving a chance to the likes of Filippo Terracciano, Tammy Abraham, Davide Calabria and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Youssouf Fofana, Tijjani Reijnders and Rafael Leao remained in the XI and that core was more than enough against the Serie B table-toppers. Samuel Chukwueze netted a first-half brace while Tijjani Reijnders and Rafael Leao scored too as part of a ruthless spell of four goals in 11 minutes.

Davide Calabria and Tammy Abraham each got goals in the second half to turn it into a real rout, and the result is that Milan will play Roma or Sampdoria in the quarter-finals. Below are five things we learned from the game…

1. Mixed performances at the back

On the scoresheet a five-goal margin of victory makes it look like the defence didn’t have much to do, but realistically Sassuolo generated some clear-cut chances in the first half, with Tomori and Terracciano targeted.

The Englishman was bailed out by Pavlovic on his first big error, but then Milan were punished when he lost his man for the Neroverdi’s goal. Mulattieri had been a threat all evening but was allowed to fire, though Lorenzo Torriani should have been better.

Terracciano had a slightly better game as he contributed in the build-up one of the goals and was decent overall, yet he too was beaten quite easily on Sassuolo’s goal.

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On the flip side, Pavlovic and Calabria played well, with the Serbian not ready to give up his position in the starting XI showcasing great aggression and defensive abilities whilst also going stepping out with the ball on a lot of occasions to bait the press.

Calabria also had a positive game it both phases of the game and topped it off with a lovely goal. It was refreshing to see following a rather mixed performance against Slovan Bratislava – obviously now the challenge is to repeat it.

2. Deceitfully decisive

Chukwueze started on the right flank with the winger desperate to get put together good performances in and fight for the starting spot. Pulisic has been fantastic since the start of the season, and Yunus Musah’s new hybrid role has presented another obstacle.

The Nigerian scored twice early in the first half to wrap up the game for Milan, but whilst it might be a controversial opinion the two goals are deceitful and don’t reflect the overall performance we saw.

On the first goal, Chukwueze missed his initial shot after being left 1v1 against the keeper and was lucky that the rebound got back to him so he could eventually put the ball into the back of the net.

Photo by AC Milan

The second goal was taken nicely, we have to admit, though the beauty came in the pass from Abraham. Everything after that was frustrating as he so often decided to go alone, obviously looking for his hat-trick but being let down by his decision making.

He often managed to get goal-side of his man and then didn’t take advantage of the situation by checking back or stumbling over the ball, allowing his opponents to dispossess him shortly after or for numbers to get back.

It’s hard to be overly critical of a player who scores twice, it’s just that against better opponents – with respect to Sassuolo – the same space will not be afforded and the finger margins really matter. Efficiency is key for a technical winger like him.

3. Rampant Reijnders

Tijjani Reijnders is the man of the moment – he simply cannot stop getting involved in goals. He first provided a lovely through ball for Chukwueze on his first goal and then proceeded to score a rocket from outside of the box to grab one of his own.

This makes it nine goal contributions in the last eight games and a lot of them have been crucial too, including ones in the Champions League. Tijjani has already surpassed his number from last season and is far from finished as he keeps growing into the season, it seems.

A separate analysis is definitely needed regarding how his role has been fine-tuned under Fonseca (with the help of Fofana too) to find him in better positions. For now though as pure spectators we can enjoy seeing a creative midfielder perhaps only matched by Europe’s elite.

When his contract extension is official – as Reijnders himself admitted is close – Milan can fully celebrate the bargain signing they secured last season. However, until the ink dries on the paper, a run of dominance like this will turn heads.

4. A leading light

Leao has really shifted the gears in recent weeks as he is constantly creating and causing havoc in the opponent’s half. Against Sassuolo he only got one goal, but it was a powerful low driven shot from the edge of the box to beat the keeper.

As a whole the Portuguese was very lively in the first half, combining well with his team-mates – in particular Tammy Abraham – causing lots of trouble for Sassuolo. He did it with a smile on his face, perhaps aware that he doesn’t usually get such freedom.

We spoke more in depth about Leao’s changing role and responsibilities in a feature earlier today. However, the eye test and the numbers speak for themselves more than any tactical readings, with the former Lille man hitting form in a much-needed moment for his team.

He also came out with some nice words after the game too, making it clear how despite the negative media reports there is a good mood in the camp: The team is doing well, it’s important to have this family atmosphere among us.”

Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

5. A chance taken

Tammy Abraham was given the nod over Morata and he did not want to waste the chance to make Fonseca’s choice a difficult one when it comes down to the starting striker position.

Abraham linked well with everybody, really, as he was very lively on the left side of the pitch, combining with Leao. The duo combined brilliantly with flicks and one-touch passes, moving up into space and stretching Sassuolo.

The striker also worked hard in both phases of the game and eventually got an assist on Chukwueze’s second goal with a lovely through ball. We saw a similarly delightful assist against Slovan Bratislava, showing the Englishman can perhaps match Morata’s ‘quarterbacking’ ability.

He did have to wait until the second half, but eventually got a goal to his name too to mark a really positive performance by the former Roma player. He seems determined to get more game time and to earn a permanent stay too. That’s a nice problem for Foneseca and the directors to have.