In a dramatic turn of events at the Mapei Stadium, AC Milan's Serie A clash against Sassuolo took a severe blow just 24 minutes in, when center-back Fikayo Tomori received his marching orders. The England international's early exit left the Rossoneri facing an uphill battle, already trailing 1-0 after Domenico Berardi's swift opener.

Tomori's afternoon unraveled in two costly moments. The first yellow card arrived in the 9th minute, when he tripped Kristian Thorstvedt just inside Sassuolo's half. Referee Fabio Maresca wasted no time issuing the booking. Then, in a case of déjà vu, Tomori repeated the mistake 15 minutes later, catching Armand Lauriente in almost the exact same spot on the halfway line. This time, the referee had no choice but to show a second yellow, followed by the inevitable red.

There were few protests from the Milan camp, as Tomori accepted his fate and headed straight down the tunnel. With his team now a man down and a goal behind, manager Max Allegri faced a tough decision. Surprisingly, he opted against making any immediate substitutions, leaving his side to navigate the remainder of the first half with 10 men.

For Milan, this red card marks another chapter in a season of defensive struggles. Tomori, once a pillar of the backline, will now face suspension, leaving Allegri to reshuffle his defensive options in upcoming fixtures. As the match continued, all eyes were on whether Milan could salvage anything from this challenging start.