AC Milan 1-0 Sassuolo: Milan wrap up year with narrow win over visitors

Stefano Pioli’s team got off to a strong start, with Tijjani Reijnders' powerful long-range shot being expertly saved. Just moments later, Ismael Bennacer had a goal disallowed for offside against Olivier Giroud, who had provided the cross into the box.

Bennacer had another attempt later in the half, but his shot went wide, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek also missed the target from a similar distance.

The game continued to provide chances, but Rafael Leao's goal drought in the league extended to 10 games as his strike was ruled offside as well.

On the other end, Domenico Berardi's thunderous shot was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Mike Maignan, who also comfortably caught Nedim Bajrami's effort. Despite the opportunities, the visitors, who hadn't kept a clean sheet in 25 top-flight matches, managed to reach halftime without conceding.

Sassuolo grew into the game and had a great chance to take the lead in the second half when Jeremy Toljan cut inside and aimed for the top corner, but Maignan denied him.

However, Milan broke the deadlock just before the hour mark when Ruan Tressoldi failed to intercept Bennacer's defense-splitting pass, allowing Pulisic to score from close range.

Undeterred, Sassuolo pushed for an equalizer, with Armand Lauriente's powerful low strike being saved. But it was Milan who looked more likely to score the next goal, with Alessandro Florenzi unlucky to see his long-range effort hit the roof of the net.

Despite the missed opportunity, Milan kept another clean sheet at the San Siro, maintaining their strong defensive record at home in Serie A. Meanwhile, their opponents find themselves dangerously close to the relegation zone.