Torino hit the woodwork twice and were denied by two Sassuolo goal-line clearances, but eventually Marko Pjaca gave Ivan Juric’s men a thoroughly deserved away victory.
The Granata got off the mark last week with a 4-0 win over Salernitana, but were still missing Andrea Belotti, Simone Zaza, Armando Izzo and Simone Verdi.
Toro had the first real chance, Tommaso Pobega drilling just wide, but moments later Sassuolo rattled the frame of the goal with a ferocious Davide Frattesi strike.
Antonio Sanabria really should’ve given Torino the lead on 26 minutes when he was sent clear by Josip Brekalo and dinked his finish over the goalkeeper, but Gian Marco Ferrari got back for a desperate goal-line clearance.
Moments later, the Granata went close again, Brekalo’s angled drive bouncing off the far post and Wilfred Singo almost surprised on the rebound, unable to finish it off.
Filip Djuricic put the ball in the net for Sassuolo, but had wandered offside on Frattesi’s pass.
Torino continued to impress, Andrea Consigli needing a save on Bremer’s diving header at the back post, and from the resulting corner Maxime Lopez cleared the Sanabria header off the line.
The visitors were extraordinarily unfortunate, before the break Dennis Praet’s daisy-cutter thumping the base of the upright again.
Brekalo couldn’t blame luck when he blasted over from close range at the dawn of the second half, but Toro lost Praet to what looks like a hamstring injury.
When Sasa Lukic sprung the offside trap and went around the goalkeeper, he only managed to find the side-netting.
Torino finally got a deserved lead in the final minutes when Marko Pjaca dribbled into the box on a Rolando Mandragora assist and passed it with the inside of his right boot into the far bottom corner from nine yards.
Vanja Milinkovic-Savic did have one real save to make in the final minute on a Ferrari header from a corner.
Sassuolo 0-1 Torino
Pjaca 83 (T)