Gennaro Gattuso Laments 'Missed Opportunity' After AC Milan Draw 1-1 With Sassuolo

Milan manager Gennaro Gattuso admitted his side missed an opportunity to gain ground on teams above them in Serie A after their 1-1 draw with Sassuolo on Sunday.

Gattuso's side fell behind to Matteo Politano's half volley but drew level through a thunderous strike from substitute Nikola Kalinic, and pressed late on but couldn't find a second goal.

Speaking to Mediaset (as quoted by Football Italia) after the game, Gattuso bemoaned Milan's lack of a clinical edge in front of goal on the same weekend that both Roma and Inter lost in the race for Champions League qualification.

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He said: “We had over 20 shots on goal, sometimes the ball goes in and sometimes it doesn’t. We had chances, we had lots of 50-50 issues, but it can happen after four or five months that someone’s legs feel heavy.

“The important thing is not to seek alibis, because we’ll go nowhere with them. I think we missed a big opportunity here to stay within reach of Champions League qualification.”

“I don’t think it was an issue of one or two strikers, because we created a great deal in the first half and overall had over 20 shots on goal. What we lacked was vehemence and determination.

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“At the end of the day, we were even lucky to get a point, as we had gone behind. You can give all sorts of reasons for fatigue, but the fact remains we were sluggish in the final third.”

Milan stay sixth in Serie A and are seven points behind Inter and eight behind Lazio, who currently occupy fourth spot.