Sassuolo 3-3 AC Milan: Late Okafor strike earns draw for Rossoneri in six-goal thriller
On Sunday, second-placed AC Milan rallied from two goals down to draw 3-3 at relegation-threatened Sassuolo, thanks to a late equaliser by substitute Noah Okafor.
Milan have 69 points, six ahead of Juventus, with six games remaining. Sassuolo are second-bottom with 26 points. Inter Milan, who host Cagliari later on Sunday, lead with 82 points.
It was a frustrating match for Milan, who dominated possession and chances, particularly Samuel Chukwueze, who had two goals disallowed for offside by an inch.
Andrea Consigli, Sassuolo's keeper, also made several excellent saves, including a sensational early stop when he clawed away Malick Thiaw's header, which was destined for the top corner.
"We tried absolutely everything. We scored three goals and created many more chances. Nobody could have complained if we'd scored five or six today," Milan boss Stefano Pioli told DAZN.
"I saw errors today but there was nothing wrong with the attitude and I'd not say we were distracted by other issues," he added ahead of Thursday's Europa League quarter-final return leg at AS Roma.
Milan also face Inter on April 22 in a match that could give the Nerazzurri their 20th league title.
"Clearly, Inter will win the Scudetto. We'll do everything we can to win the derby. That's to make our fans happy, to confirm second place and that's a prestigious target," Pioli said.
Sassuolo stunned Milan after four minutes when Kristian Thorstvedt flicked on a fine cross with his heel, and the unmarked Andrea Pinamonti volleyed home from close range.
Six minutes later, Armand Lauriente doubled the lead by sprinting into the box and firing a shot that was blocked by keeper Marco Sportiello but rebounded into the path of the Sassuolo striker for a simple finish.
Rafael Leao revived Milan's chances with a solo run in the 20th minute, slipping past two defenders and slotting the ball into the far corner of the net.
The excitement continued as Lauriente scored again eight minutes after the break, before Milan's Luka Jovic pulled one back just before the hour.
Sassuolo appeared exhausted near the end of the game, with Milan creating several opportunities, but Consigli stood firm.
However, in the 84th minute, Okafor received the ball inside the box and secured a hard-fought point for the visitors with a well-placed shot two minutes after coming on.
The late equaliser saved Milan's blushes as they head to Roma on Thursday with a 1-0 deficit as they look to advance to the Europa League semi-finals.
"Roma played very well at San Siro, whereas we were below our usual level. If we play to our level then I expect it to be a balanced encounter and incidents can make the difference," Pioli said.
SportsLigue