MILAN: Spanish midfielder Suso scored a brace to end his Serie A goal drought as AC Milan got back winning after three consecutive draws with a 4-1 success which thwarted Sassuolo’s bid to go second in Serie A on Sunday.

“This result can help us gain confidence,” said Milan coach Gennaro Gattuso. “When you wear the Milan jersey and work at a glorious club like this, which wants to get back to the top, there is pressure.

“People aren’t so much interested in performances as results and the table, but I knew this team had promise and just needed some time to grow.”

Despite the win Milan remain tenth in the standings, four points off Inter Milan, who occupy the final Champions League berth.

Unheralded Sassuolo — a surprise high flyer early this season — dropped to fifth, equal on 13 points but behind third-placed Fiorentina and Inter on goal difference.

“We have a lot of young and talented players, so we don’t know how far we can go, but there will inevitably be setbacks like this as part of the growth process,” said Sassuolo coach Roberto De Zerbi.

Milan’s victory came despite the absence of star striker Gonzalo Higuain with forwards Patrick Cutrone and Fabio Borini also out injured.

Franck Kessie collected the ball in his own half, powered forward and scored from the edge of the area to give Milan the lead before halftime.

Suso and Samu Castillejo scored with long-range left-foot shots after the break and, although Filip Djuricic pulled one back for Sassuolo, Suso fired in a fourth in stoppage-time.

Sassuolo’s defeat allowed Fiorentina to move third with a 2-0 win over Atalanta.

Bergamo-based Atalanta travelled to Fiorentina’s Artemio Franchi stadium desperate to end a five-game winless streak.

But their hopes were jolted just after the hour when referee Paolo Valeri pointed immediately to the penalty spot, refusing to consult VAR despite Federico Chiesa going down easily from Rafael Toloi’s challenge.

Jordan Veretout stepped up to slot the ball past Pierluigi Gollini after 63 minutes, and Fiorentina cemented the win when Cristiano Biraghi doubled their lead in stoppage time.

At the final whistle, tensions boiled over with furious Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini confronting Fiorentina counterpart Stefano Pioli before the pair were dragged apart.

Genoa striker Krzysztof Piatek continued his remarkable start to his Serie A career by notching a brace in a 2-1 win at lowly Frosinone, who at least had the consolation of scoring their first goal of the season.

Piatek volleyed home in the 33rd minute and the Pole turned in a Christian Kouame cross from close range three minutes later, his eighth goal in six appearances since joining from Cracovia for a modest four million euros ($4.64 million) in July.

Promoted Frosinone, who have one point, finally scored when Camillo Ciano converted a penalty three minutes before halftime after Nicolas Spolli fouled Stipe Perica.

Former AS Roma and Arsenal forward Gervinho grabbed the only goal to give Parma a 1-0 win over Empoli in a game between the other two promoted sides.

It was a third win of the season for Parma who were relegated to the fourth tier in 2015 after going bankrupt and have bounced back to the top flight with three successive promotions.

Torino won 1-0 at Chievo after forward Simone Zaza came off the bench to grab a late winner, leaving the Flying Donkeys rooted to the bottom of the table with minus one point after having three deducted for accounting irregularities.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2018