AC Milan failed to capitalise on a chance to open a three-point gap at the top of Serie A after being held to a 2-2 draw by Sassuolo at San Siro.
Despite a memorable night for teenage defender Davide Bartesaghi, the Rossoneri were denied maximum points when Armand Laurienté struck a late equaliser to earn the visitors a deserved share of the spoils.
Sassuolo made a bright start and took the lead in the 13th minute. Andrea Pinamonti slipped a clever pass into the path of Ismaël Koné, who showed great composure to beat Mike Maignan with an outside-of-the-boot finish.
Milan responded before the break as Bartesaghi arrived at the far post to convert Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s cross in the 34th minute.
The 19-year-old then completed the turnaround shortly after halftime, squeezing a low shot past Arijanet Muric at the near post to put the hosts ahead.
Massimiliano Allegri’s side thought they had extended their advantage, but goals from Christian Pulisic and Adrien Rabiot were both ruled out for offside, allowing Sassuolo to stay in the contest.
Those missed chances proved costly in the 77th minute when Sassuolo levelled through Laurienté, who finished off a slick one-touch move.
The winger later came close to snatching a winner, rattling the post as the visitors pressed forward.
Milan ultimately settled for a point, a result that could see them drop from the summit if Napoli or Inter claim victory later on Sunday.
While the draw was frustrating for the home side, the night belonged to Bartesaghi, whose two goals were the first of his senior career.
At 19 years and 350 days, he became the youngest Italian defender to score for Milan in Serie A since Paolo Maldini in 1988. Only Ibrahima Mbaye has scored a top-flight brace at a younger age as a defender in recent Serie A history.
Statistically, Sassuolo matched Milan closely, restricting the hosts to 1.24 expected goals while creating opportunities worth 1.07 xG themselves, underlining why they left San Siro with a valuable point.
