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(Reuters) – AC Milan were humbled 5-2 at home to Sassuolo in Serie A on Sunday, suffering their fourth loss in five games and putting pressure on manager Stefano Pioli.<\/p>\n
Eleven yellow cards were shown, seven for Milan players and four for visitors.<\/p>\n
The Italian champions are fourth in the rankings with 38 points, one ahead of Lazio and Roma, who will play on Sunday. Sassuolo finished 16th.<\/p>\n
“I feel disappointed, but I can’t be farther away from it,” Pioli told Sky Sport Italia.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur recent performance shows that we are struggling and this requires us to understand what situations need to be improved and handled differently.<\/p>\n
“Our Scudetto this season will secure our place in the Champions League. That is the goal.”<\/p>\n
Olivier Giroud thought he had given Milan the lead in the eighth minute, but his celebrations were cut short after being ruled offside by VAR.<\/p>\n
Sassuolo’s first goal came against the flow of play in the 19th minute when Domenico Berardi sent a cross into the box and was tapped by an unmarked Gregoire Defler.<\/p>\n
Two minutes later, Davide Fratesi doubled the lead with a low shot into the net.<\/p>\n
Giroud scored one back for Milan in the 24th minute, heading David Calabria’s cross into the top corner, but Berardi quickly restored Sassuolo’s two-goal lead.<\/p>\n
Ante Rebic had a chance to score in stoppage time in the first half, but Sassuolo keeper Andrea Consigli saved a volley.<\/p>\n
Milan’s woes continued in the second half when Armand Lauriente scored a penalty two minutes into the interval and Mateus Enrique added 11 minutes in the fifth.<\/p>\n
Milan scored their second goal in the 54th minute when a set-piece found an unmarked Revic in the box and tapped into the net, ruled offside by VAR.<\/p>\n
Divock Origi scored Milan’s second goal in the 81st minute with a superb shot from the edge of the box.<\/p>\n
Milan will face Inter in the Milan derby on February 5th.<\/p>\n
“We will make the best decision to get through this moment. We have a derby next week and we want to get out of this negative situation,” said Pioli.<\/p>\n
(Reporting by Tommy Lund of Gdansk; Editing by Ed Osmond)<\/p>\n