Sassuolo secured one of the shocks of the season as the Serie A strugglers once again defeated Inter Milan to end the newly-crowned champions’ long unbeaten run and bolster their own survival hopes courtesy of a 1-0 triumph at the Mapei Stadium.
Davide Ballardini’s Neroverdi became the only side to beat The Nerazzurri in Serie A way back in September and they put themselves on the path to a repeat when Armand Lauriente drilled in Josh Doig’s pass from the left on 20 minutes.
Inter, who made several changes to their starting XI, almost levelled when Denzel Dumfries dragged inches wide of the far post and their frustration intensified on the stroke of half-time when Lautaro Martinez’s poacher’s goal was chalked off for offside following a VAR review.
The pattern continued following the break with Sassuolo’s belief growing and the visitors struggling to create much of note despite bossing much of the possession.
The result sees Sassuolo secure an unlikely double over the champions with the boast of being the only team to defeat Inter in Serie A this season. More importantly it gives the Neroverdi real hopes of beating the drop as they remain 19th but move to within two points of safety.
Next up, Inter – who saw a 28-match unbeaten run in the league come to an end – visit Frosinone on Friday while Sassuolo are at Genoa a week on Sunday.