Milan have a four versus two situation right at the end of the match. Castillejo delays a pass for Suso who would have been in on goal, and Sampdoria manage to clear.
90' +3
This match is going out at a simmering pace. Sampdoria really haven't been at the races in the second half.
90' +2
A. Romagnoli gets yellow.
Yellow card Alessio Romagnoli
90' +1
Four minutes have been added on here. Milan have dropped back so to cling on to these crucial three points.
90'
Laxalt gets a well-earned rest as Calhanoglu replaces him on the left.
89'
H. Çalhanoğlu enters the game and replaces D. Laxalt.
Milan almost gift possession to Sampdoria in their own box before countering. The final ball proves to be an issue again.
86'
Castillejo is clipped by Ekdal as the Spaniard looks to break. No yellow given by the referee this time.
84'
Kessie eases the pressure on his Milan team-mates by driving out from midfield. They can't match his efforts soon after as an attack breaks down cheaply.
82'
F. Kessié gets yellow.
Kessie is booked for remonstrating with the referee after he blows for a foul on Praet by Laxalt.
81'
Tonelli can only redirect a dangerous free-kick away from goal with a header for Sampdoria.
Minute
Description
80'
I. Abate gets yellow.
Welcome to the game, Abate. The experienced full-back earns a booking for shoving Linetty off the ball, without taking a touch himself.
78'
I. Abate enters the game and replaces D. Calabria.
Abate enters the match after Calabria's injury finally proves too much.
76'
G. Caprari enters the game and replaces R. Saponara.
Samu Castillejo enters the game and replaces P. Cutrone.
Cutrone has the ball in the net but the whistle had already gone for a foul on Tonelli inside the area.
Saponara also makes way for Sampdoria. He didn't quite impress as much in the second half, after scoring and assisting in the first. Caprari replaces him.
Cutrone leaves the field to a warm reception from Milan's support. Castillejo will play the last quarter-of-an-hour.
75'
Sampdoria left-back Sala allows Suso to check in on his left foot again. Luckily for the defender, the Spaniard's cross has too much power and goes out for a goal kick.
73'
Higuain can't control a ball into him on the edge of the box, allowing a defender in white to steal possession away from his feet.
71'
Laxalt proves to be a nuisance for Sampdoria's defence on the left again, and finds half-a-yard to cut the ball across goal. No Milan attackers gamble in the box to reach it.
69'
Praet tries his luck from 30 yards-plus, but his powerful drive goes over the bar.
68'
Calabria is clearly in pain at right-back, still suffering from the effects of a challenge minutes ago.
64'
It's been a smarter second half performance from the home side. They've moved quickly to stop potential counter-attacks, and now have the potentially crucial third goal.
62'
Suso has scored a goal for AC Milan! Assist by R. Rodríguez.
GOOOOAALLL! Suso warned Sampdoria just moments ago, and he’s belted one in for 3-2. The Spaniard opts for the bottom-left corner on his trusty left peg this time, and Milan are ahead. You would have to say it’s deserved, too.
Rodriguez the supplier for Suso's strike, but that was all on the wide man.
61'
D. Kownacki enters the game and replaces G. Defrel.
Defrel is one of the top scorers in Serie A but couldn't make an impact this afternoon. Kownacki comes on.
60'
J. Sala gets yellow.
A high boot from Sala on Suso sees him go into the book, joining team-mate Linetty.
59'
Suso stings the gloves of Audero from distance after cutting in on his left foot. The Sampdoria keeper had to parry the ball out for a corner.
58'
Milan do really well to play themselves out of trouble at the back with Musacchio and Calabria before a wayward pass in midfield undoes all their hard work. That's been the way for both sides for most of this match.
56'
Over ten minutes have passed in the second half, and Higuain's volley is the closest either side have come to another goal at the San Siro.
54'
Higuain sees another effort from 20 yards snuffed out by onrushing Sampdoria defenders. He's the danger man here.
53'
Milan counter through Higuain who sprays a ball out to left with the outside of his boot, but Laxalt's resulting delivery in space is wasteful.
52'
It's been a slow mover since the restart, as is often the case after such a frantic first half.
48'
Audero saves from Higuain! The Argentine lashes a left-foot volley towards the Sampdoria goal, using a defender as a screen, but the visiting keeper is down low and equal to it.
47'
Cutrone receives an early clattering in the second half with Milan immediately on the offensive.
46'
We're back for the start of the second half!
45' +2
HALF-TIME: AC MILAN 2-2 SAMPDORIA
45' +1
Saponara tries an overhead kick in an offside position, forcing a save from Donnarumma. That will be the last action of this half.
45'
Kessie's first touch lets him down during a blossoming Milan counter-attack. Some good control there and the hosts would've outnumbered Sampdoria in their own half.
43'
Saponara ghosts into space inside the Milan box but can't create a third goal for this side, as a cross-shot deflects away for a corner. Not long until half-time now.
42'
Kessie leaves a stud or two on Saponara's ankle in an attempt to win back possession in the middle. The former Rossoneri man stayed down for 30 seconds or so, before realising no decision would go his way. That looked like a sore one, though.
38'
Milan only needed five minutes to get themselves back in the game. When you have attacking talent like they do in Higuain, Cutrone and Suso, goals are never too far away.
36'
G. Higuaín has scored a goal for AC Milan! Assist by P. Cutrone.
Cutrone is doing himself no harm during a rare start. Like Saponara and Quagliarella, he has a goal and an assist already.
GOOOOAAALLL! What a game we have here! Milan equalise this time after a neat give-and-go between Higuain and Cutrone on the edge of the box, before the Argentine slams home his fifth Serie A goal of the season. 2-2 now…
34'
Higuain goes on his own all the way to the edge of Sampdoria's box, then taking aim and keeping a shot low for Audero to tip wide for a corner.
33'
The pressure really is on for Gattuso now. How will his team respond?
31'
F. Quagliarella has scored a goal for Sampdoria! Assist by R. Saponara.
GOOOAAALLL! Sampdoria are ahead and it’s the duo of Quagliarella and Saponara once again, and what a finish it was! The latter curls a ball over the top of the Milan defence, taking everyone out of the game, and Quagliarella volleys home on his left! 2-1 to the away side.
Saponara is enjoying a fine return to the San Siro. His assist for the second goal was equally impressive.
29'
J. Sala enters the game and replaces N. Murru.
Murru hobbles off clutching his hamstring with Sala on to replace him.
28'
Calabria is brought down rather robustly by a flying Quagliarella clearly just letting the youngster know he's there...
25'
Suso goes near post with a free-kick from the right. Sampdoria clear up and Milan take control again inside their half.
24'
K. Linetty gets yellow.
Linetty is the first player to be booked after fouling Calabria.
21'
R. Saponara has scored a goal for Sampdoria! Assist by F. Quagliarella.
Quagliarella's first touch in the build-up was absolutely brilliant on the halfway line. There's still plenty of life in the 35-year-old.
GOOOOAALLL! Sampdoria level it with their first dangerous attack of the match! Quagliarella wheels away on the counter and finds Saponara on the left. The former Milan midfielder hits it low into the corner soon after. 1-1!
19'
The volume has gone up a bit since Cutrone's opener went in. Sampdoria haven't had a sniff so far.
17'
P. Cutrone has scored a goal for AC Milan! Assist by Suso.
Suso had plenty of time to find his team-mate in the area, and the delivery was perfect.
GOOOOOAAALLL! Cutrone repays the faith shown by Gattuso. Suso gets a one-on-one and finds room to cross to the back post, where the young Italian is unmarked, off balance but now on the scoresheet. 1-0.
15'
Suso runs at his man, or rather three people, for his first proper dribble at right-wing. He's dispossessed before Higuain fouls Ekdal on the counter.
14'
Milan have scored at least two goals in each of their last five home games. A frenetic start at the San Siro surely promises goals...?
12'
Saponara dinks a neat ball over the top for Quagliarella, only for the veteran to hesitate on the volley before being smothered by Milan's defence.
10'
Laxalt lofts a cross into the box from a dangerous position. Audero comes out successfully to catch the ball this time, albeit under no real pressure from attacking players in red and black.
9'
A couple of Sampdoria players bounce off Kessie as he drifts into their half. Eventually, Suso takes control and hits a curled effort into a sea of bodies. It's been all Milan so far.
7'
Rodriguez and Laxalt are linking up with purpose as they attack Sampdoria's right side. We all saw how direct and powerful the Uruguayan can be at the World Cup.
5'
Audero comes to claim the corner but spills it to Higuain of all players. The striker's half-volleyed effort hits the side-netting and should've brought another corner, due to a deflection off a Sampdoria defender.
4'
A ball down the left channel finds Higuain, who fails to find Cutrone with a wayward cross. Milan retrieve the ball and eventually earn a corner for their pressure.
3'
It's all a bit sloppy so far from both Milan and Sampdoria in the middle of the park. The hosts are trying to build out from the back now, though.
1'
We're underway at the San Siro.
Laxalt starts as he's certain to carry on, bombing down the left-hand side. Sampdoria stop him early on.
Hello and welcome to coverage of the Serie A meeting between AC Milan and Sampdoria at the San Siro.
Gennaro Gattuso will be delighted to put his side’s last two games behind him, after the Rossoneri followed up Milan derby defeat with another loss here against Real Betis in the Europa League. The under pressure Gattuso has asked for more commitment from his players against a side who they’ve won four of the last six Serie A matches. They sit 12th prior to kick-off.
Meanwhile, Marco Giampaolo’s Sampdoria are proving a tough nut to crack. They can boast the best defence in the league with a mere four goals conceded in their first nine outings, but lost 1-0 in this fixture in eight months ago. Team news is on the way.
AC MILAN (4-4-2): Gianluigi Donnarumma; Davide Calabria, Mateo Musacchio, Alessio Romagnoli, Ricardo Rodriguez; Suso Fernandez, Lucas Biglia, Franck Kessie, Diego Laxalt; Gonzalo Higuain, Patrick Cutrone.
SUBS: Antonio Donnarumma, Pepe Reina, Ignazio Abate, Andrea Conti, Cristian Zapata, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Andrea Bertolacci, Jose Mauri, Fabio Borini, Samu Castillejo, Hakan Calhanoglu, Alen Halilovic.
SAMPDORIA (4-3-1-2): Emil Audero; Bartosz Bereszynski, Lorenzo Tonelli, Joachim Andersen; Riccardo Saponara, Albin Ekdal, Dennis Praet, Karol Linetty; Gregoire Defrel, Fabio Quagliarella.
SUBS: Rafael Cabral, Junior Tavares, Ronaldo Vieira, Alex Ferrari, Gianluca Caprari, Jacopo Sala, Jakub Jankto, Vid Belec, Edgar Barreto, Gaston Ramirez, Dawid Kownacki, Omar Colley.
The change from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2 has probably not helped Milan at the back, having been frequently caught out on the counter by Sampdoria in the first half. Perhaps we’ll see Gattuso opt for another man in midfield to shore things up soon.
It’s a pressure situation for Gattuso but both Milan and Sampdoria have played with a lot of freedom. Cutrone’s powerful back-post header on his first league start of the campaign kicked it all off, before Saponara drilled home an equaliser. Saponara then returned the favour for Quagliarella with the goal of the game so far, with the veteran volleying in from a ball over the top. Five minutes later, Higuain capped off a fine one-two with Cutrone. Crazy stuff in Italy.
Milan will hope this is the start of good things in Serie A as they welcome Genoa to town on Wednesday night. Next up for Sampdoria is a visit from Torino. Giampaolo's men sit in seventh for the time being after lost points here. That concludes our coverage, thanks for reading along!
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