Brimming with sheer confidence, Milan scored three past Sassuolo to win the 2021/22 Serie A title following a gruelling title race.
Going into the game, Milan just needed one point to clinch their first Scudetto since the 2010/11 season. Although Sassuolo and Mapei Stadium were the official hosts of the match, the enthusiastic Rossoneri supporters filled the stadium, making the stands a sea of black and red bodies.
As the circumstances warranted, the visitors started the match brightly. A run of eye-catching attacking plays by Milan saw Andrea Consigli making some brilliant saves to deny the Scudetto hunters.
Finally, Rafael Leao found himself in some space down the left. A cunning pass found the feet of Olivier Giroud, who blasted the ball past the Neroverdi custodian to hand Milan the much-awaited lead in the match. The deadlock got broken.
Despite taking the lead and knowing that a draw would be enough, the visitors kept pushing for the second. Meanwhile, Sassuolo were able to salvage a couple of chances. But those opportunities went astray. Giroud got his brace off Leao’s assist in the 32nd minute of the match, potentially landing the Rossoneri on the edge of the Scudetto glory.
Leao picked up his third assist of the afternoon, with Barcelona-bound Franck Kessié extending the scoreline for the travellers. Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a goal with a towering header, but the goal got chalked off due to an alleged off-side for the run of Leao, who could have picked another assist.
Hamed Junior Traorè hit the post in the 84th-minute of the game. That was the closest Sassuolo came to beating Mike Maignan. At the final whistle, the sea of red and white bodies erupted as the Rossoneri savoured their first Scudetto after a wait of over a decade. Here are the player ratings from the match
Sassuolo (4-2-3-1): Consigli (6.5); Mert Müldür (5.5), Kaan Ayhan (6), Ferrari (5), Kiriakopoulos (5.5); Frattesi (6), Lopez (5.5); Matheus (5.5), Berardi (5.5), Raspadori (6); Scamacca (5)
Substitutes: Magnanelli (10), Junior Traore (6.5), Defrel (6), Peluso (N/A), Satalino (N/A)
Milan (4-2-3-1): Maignan (7); Calabria (6.5), Kalulu (7), Tomori (6.5), Hernandez (7.5); Kessie (8), Tonali (7.5); Saelemaekers (6.5), Krunic (6), Leao (9); Giroud (9)
Substitutes: Bennacer (6.5), Diaz (6), Ibrahimovic (6), Florenzi (N/A), Romagnoli (N/A)
