Time has run out for Milan, who have to settle for the draw. Full time.
90' +4
The ball comes in from the left via De Sciglio, and Honda rises highest to bounce a header down off the turf and wide of the mark. Milan would want a do over on that chance with Pazzini on the receiving end.
90' +2
Into the second of four added minutes, and Abate draws the ire of his manager once again with a frustrating effort from distance that doesn't come close to troubling Sepe. Tick tock.
90'
Milan are applying pressure to squeeze a third goal, but Abate ruins their latest foray with a careless offside. Inzaghi is furious that the full back did not hold his run in time to stay onside or as it's also known, pot calling the kettle black.
89'
Zapata tries a header from a tight angle that flies over the top. A flick to the far post might have worked better, with two of his teammates lining up in that position. It's all Milan as we head into the closing stage.
87'
Empoli protest the decision, but there's no changing the referee's mind now. Their argument is surely based on the fact that Muntari was allowed to stay on the pitch in the first half, even after committing a foul on Verdi that warranted a second booking.
86'
M. Valdifiori gets a second yellow card and is sent off.
RED CARD! EMPOLI DOWN A MAN! Probably the fastest double booking that you will ever see. Two careless fouls about 30 seconds shy of each other from Valdifiori earns him two yellow cards. He receives his marching orders.
85'
M. Valdifiori gets yellow.
84'
A nervy back-and-forth period sees both sides just about avoid giving up shots inside their respective penalty areas. All cards are played now with six substitutions used between the pair of managers. Time for nature to take its course.
82'
Inzaghi pulls the trigger on his final substitution, bringing off Torres and introducing Giampaolo Pazzini. No surprise that he's thrown in a striker off the bench, but a bit of a shock to see Torres depart, given his performance and the fact that he seemed to still have something in the tank.
Minute
Description
81'
G. Pazzini enters the game and replaces Fernando Torres.
80'
Milan win a free kick some 25 yards from goal, which Honda lines up. The Japanese can certainly hit them, and his effort forces Sepe to dive and cover his near post. It heads off target anyway.
78'
One-way traffic at the moment, with Milan chasing a winner. That would be quite the turnaround from the Rossoneri. Time is starting to run a little short though, but Inzaghi still has a sub in reserve.
76'
P. Zieliński enters the game and replaces M. Pucciarelli.
Final change of the game from Sarri, who hauls off Pucciarelli and replaces him with Piotr Zielinski. He joins fellow substitute Maccarone, who will now lead the line on his own.
74'
Menez still has a spring in his step even at this late stage, and he's putting Hysaj under immediate pressure out wide. The France international needs to be helped by his teammates in attack though.
72'
Milan are controlling possession, but there's no penetration at the moment. You get the feeling that Empoli want to cut their losses and settle for the point at this stage.
70'
Second substitution for Empoli. Laurini, so secure in the first half, has not looked the same player. He's been replaced by Hysaj. Perhaps that might help Empoli get their defensive bearings again.
69'
E. Hysaj enters the game and replaces V. Laurini.
The game has moved into something of a dead spell at the moment, but Milan are the side in control of things. You have to give all the credit in the world to the visitors and Inzaghi for orchestrating this turnaround.
67'
Torres has been on fire since getting Milan on the board in the previous half. His goal marked only the second time that a Spanish player has scored in La Liga, the Premier League and Serie A. The first? Diego Tristan, star of that superb Deportivo la Coruna side at the turn of the century.
65'
An excellent run down the right wing from Honda ends in a dangerous ball across the goalmouth, where three Rossoneri jerseys are lining up at the far post. The ball is just moving a little too fast for any of them to make contact though. Empoli have also brought on Massimo Maccarone for Francesco Tavano.
64'
M. Maccarone enters the game and replaces F. Tavano.
63'
There's an overriding feeling that the game hasn't seen it's last goal. Milan were virtually coerced into two changes to their midfield before the second half had even begun, but it's worked out excellently for them, as they've dominated in central areas since the restart.
61'
MENEZ! SO UNLUCKY! Some spectacular footwork from Torres frees him from two players inside the box, and the Spaniard tees it up for Menez at the top of the box. The ex-PSG man then sidefoots a wonderful attempt onto the frame of the goal!
59'
A textbook example of the perils of profligacy. Moments after Tavano scuffed a glorious chance, Milan hit them for the equaliser at the other end. Empoli's two-goal lead and all that excellent first-half work disappears in an instant.
57'
K. Honda has scored a goal for AC Milan! Assist by I. Abate.
MILAN BACK ON LEVEL TERMS! Now that was terrible defending from Empoli, but take nothing away from Honda! He glides forward from midfield, making up a lot of ground to just inside the box, before drilling a low finish into the corner.
56'
A miss for the ages. Tavano was put clean through behind the last defender after a quick Empoli break, but with only Abbiati to beat and plenty of goal to aim at, he slides a dreadful effort at least a goal-length wide of the far corner. Will Empoli rue that miss?
55'
More danger created by the hosts, as Pucciarelli finds space down the left to arrow in a cross, which causes a scramble that ends when Croce's shot is blocked by Poli. Close call!
54'
De Jong pulls off an excellent tackle to stop Verdi from advancing deep into the box. He does catch the midfielder on the follow-through, but given that he got a lot of the ball first, there was no case for a penalty, despite Verdi's appeal. The referee correctly waves play on.
52'
Abbiati takes a second too long to clear the ball in the face of pressure from Tavano. That leads to a turnover with his eventual punt, but De Jong manages to halt Vecino's advance down the right-hand side.
50'
M. De Sciglio gets yellow.
De Sciglio was in trouble against Pucciarelli, who was one turn away from a three-on-one Empoli break. He cynically hacks down the goalscorer, earning himself a yellow card. Taking one for the team.
48'
One change to bring you up to speed with by the way, and it's hardly the most surprising one. Muntari was asking for a second yellow card towards the end of the first half, and Ingaghi recognized that the midfielder was a ticking time bomb, replacing hm with Andrea Poli.
47'
Milan surrender the ball in their own half already, and Tavano is played in on a promising position on the left side of the box. As expected, he cuts onto his right foot to have a go, but Abbiati saves it, needing two grabs to do so.
46'
A. Poli enters the game and replaces S. Muntari.
Here we go again, after a half-time interval that lasted some 20 minutes.
45' +3
That's it for the first half.
45' +2
It's kicking off here at the end of the half. Muntari clumsily trips up Verdi, which cynically cuts out a Empoli break, to the fury of the hosts. The Ghanaian, already on a yellow card, was very lucky not to pick up a second booking for that play!
45'
Empoli haven't really been at the races in the last five or so minutes, but they remind Milan of their attacking prowess, as Vecino fires just over the bar after twisting and turning at the top of the box.
43'
Fernando Torres has scored a goal for AC Milan! Assist by I. Abate.
TORRES COMES UP WITH THE GOODS! Abate was ignored on the previous play by the Spaniard, but he doesn't let that bother him, whipping in a cross for the striker, who loops a fantastic header over Sepe and into the far side of the goal!
42'
M. Vecino gets yellow.
Sepe is suddenly a busy man towards the end of the half. He gets down low to catch a Torres effort. The Spaniard wriggled his way into space for the shot through a crowd but had he lifted his head, he would have spotted Abate completely unmarked just to his right.
41'
Empoli are furious that the referee allowed play to go on long enough for Milan to have a shot, given that Vandifiori was down stricken on the deck after an accidental knock from Bonaventura. Play is now stopped to check on the midfielder, who is soon back on his feet.
40'
First attack of note in ages from Milan, and it ends with Luigi Sepe being called into action. Muntari pauses with it at the top of the box and after faking to shoot, tees it up for Bonaventura to do just that. It's a decent try, but Sepe is all over it.
38'
One goal for Milan before half-time could still make this anyone's game in the second half. But at the moment, Empoli look far more likely to strike a third than the Rossoneri do to get off the mark.
36'
S. Muntari gets yellow.
Muntari joins Zapata in the book, as he upended Valdifiori on the far touchline, with the referee getting a good look at the incident. He's not had himself a happy outing, the Ghanaian.
35'
I've been really pleased to watch this Empoli performance. As bad as I've made Milan sound (and really, they've been awful), the home side still have a job to do, and their vertical approach to attack down the middle has been purposeful throughout.
33'
NEARLY A THIRD! What are Milan doing at the back? Laurini's deep cross somehow finds Verdi perfectly unmarked between Zapata and Bonera. From about 15 yards out, he flicks a header goalwards, but sees it bounce onto the roof of the net. That was close!
31'
G. Bonaventura enters the game and replaces M. van Ginkel.
Giacomo Bonaventura has been summoned from the bench to replace Van Ginkel, who leaves the field on a stretcher in some distress. The 25-year-old may well slot into an attacking midfield trio with Honda and Menez, meaning we might see something of a 4-2-3-1 from Milan now.
29'
The match has stopped for a moment as there seems to be a problem for Van Ginkel. The stretcher has been called for. A sad sight, as the Dutchman missed almost his entire first season at Chelsea through injury.
27'
Milan's midfield is getting overrun here. Not only are they failing to cut out Empoli's passing sequences, their own attempts at distribution have been conservative at best. Inzaghi could do with the half-time break already.
25'
Rui has been a veritable tank out on the left flank for Empoli. He's motored forward time and time again to cause problems in the final third and has not neglected his defensive duties either - as evidenced by his crunching tackle to halt Abate in his tracks.
23'
Milan's mental approach to this game has been trash. There simply is no organization in their ranks whenever Empoli attack from dead balls. So confident in possession earlier, the Rossoneri are now struggling to keep the ball for more than a handful of passes.
21'
M. Pucciarelli has scored a goal for Empoli! Assist by F. Tavano.
ANOTHER GOAL FOR EMPOLI! And another dreadful defensive sequence from Milan. A free kick is played short to the top of the box, where Tavano's flick catches Bonera daydreaming. He reacts too late to stop Pucciarelli from latching onto it, and the striker does the rest from only a few yards out!
20'
C. Zapata gets yellow.
MORE TROUBLE FOR MILAN! Matias Vecino ran some 20 yards with no one tracking him off the ball. Verdi teed him up in a great shooting position, and his effort needs a diving smother from Abbiati!
19'
Should they record a big enough victory, the Rossoneri can take a provisional lead atop the Serie A table on goal difference. It may not last to the weekend though, with Juventus and Roma still yet to play. Both are in action tomorrow in a busy evening for the Italian top flight.
17'
That goal has put some real wind in the sails of the Azzurri. Tonelli didn't feature in the previous match against Cesena, but he's marked his return to the XI with a bang. Milan, once again, are chasing the game.
15'
Danger again for Milan, with Christian Abbiati forced to awkwardly bundle a snap shot from Manuel Pucciarelli out for another corner. This time, the visitors manage to clear via Nigel de Jong's thumping header.
13'
L. Tonelli has scored a goal for Empoli! Assist by M. Valdifiori.
EMPOLI TAKE THE LEAD! The first sustained foray forward from the hosts leads to the opening goal! It was simple stuff, far too easy. The corner came in, and Tonelli was granted a free header near the six-yard area to turn in via the far post.
11'
Mario Rui missed a speculative shot from long distance, and Milan hit back right away, winning a corner kick. However, Honda's delivery is poor. He'll have to do a lot better than that.
9'
Torres, making his first Serie A start for his new club, has not really looked to run in behind the defence, instead leaving such mobile tasks to Menez and Honda. He's been playing with his back to goal, but Empoli have been effective in forcing him out of central areas.
7'
Most of Milan's attacks have been channeled through Menez down the left-hand side. Van Ginkel, playing on the left side of midfield, has been quick to get him the ball a few times. Vincent Laurini, the Empoli right back, better stay on his toes!
5'
It's generally been Milan on top in the opening exchanges, as Empoli haven't managed to hold the ball in the opposition half for more than a beat. They look nervous to start this game.
3'
There's been some high pressing from Honda and Menez on the flanks already. This should be an interesting approach from the Rossoneri, who are looking to force the hosts into mistakes in their own half.
1'
We're off!
Thanks for tuning into our live coverage of Milan's Serie A visit to Empoli. I'm Keeghann Sinanan, your play-by-play guru for tonight's action.
Milan (4-3-2-1): Abbiati; Abate, Bonera, Zapata, De Sciglio; Van Ginkel, De Jong, Muntari; Honda, Menez; Torres.
Maurizio Sarri makes two changes from the side that drew 2-2 at Cesena last time out - where Empoli fought back from a 2-0 first-half deficit to snatch a point. In come Vincent Laurini and Lorenzo Tonelli, at the expense of Elseid Hysaj and Federico Barba.
It's a fairly ambitious front three from the home side, with Francesco Tavano the key man in making that lineup tick. His is not a fixed role, as he will spearhead the attack or look to drop deep into a No. 10 position, depending on what the situation calls for. He's already got four goals in as many games to his name in all competitions so far.
Torres is flanked by Keisuke Honda and Jeremy Menez, though the latter two both like to cut inside to affect play. It could get congested centrally, meaning that Ignazio Abate and Mattia De Sciglio in the full-back spots will be important to provide width. Still, this is an impressive lineup from the 2011 Serie A champs.
Filippo Inzaghi makes three alterations to his XI, following the disappointing loss to Juventus last weekend. Fernando Torres steps in to lead the line, with Marco van Ginkel and Daniele Bonera also getting starts in midfield and defence respectively. Stephan El Shaarawy, Andrea Poli and Adil Rami all drop to the bench.
Milan's 1-0 reverse at home to Juventus was a really sobering result. There was some hope that the Rossoneri could make a statement by upsetting the three-time champs. However, Massimiliano Allegri returned to the stadium that he was practically hounded out of to exact some revenge - even though he won't admit it.
Empoli have made a terrible start to the new season, picking up only one point from their first three games. Small wonder then that they've lined up looking to attack from the off, they need to start getting points on the board! Winning against Milan - even this current incarnation - will be a huge boost to morale.
Milan were shambolic at the back, conceding twice from set pieces. However, they improved towards the end of the half and got themselves a lifeline through Torres' excellent header. It's all to play for after the restart.
What a day for the Azzurri, who stormed into a two-goal lead early in the first half, and were very unlucky not to add more to their tally. They were by far the better side, but couldn't press home their advantage in a manner that befitted their dominance.
Milan complete a comeback from two goals down, though they will be disappointed that they couldn't take the turnaround all the way to three points. The Rossoneri were much improved in both attack and defence after the interval, and deserved to get something from this game.
Empoli, so assured in the first half, let it all fall to pieces in the second period. They created nothing in attack, inviting pressure on themselves as they allowed Milan to monopolize the ball. They also finished with 10 men, but their first-half display was good enough to merit them a point.
That's all from me folks. I've been Keeghann Sinanan. Bye for now!
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