Juventus continued their brilliant run of form on Sunday night with a 1-0 triumph over Roma at the Juventus Stadium.
Paulo Dybala notched his sixth goal in seven matches to bring Juve their 11th straight Serie A victory and keep their two point pressure behind league leaders Napoli.
Paul Pogba made the assist for the decisive goal while Gianluigi Buffon remained undaunted in the dominant showing by the Bianconeri.
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Juventus
Gianluigi Buffon – 6.5 – Untested
Only one save was necessary for the soon to be 38-year-old as Alessandro Florenzi tried his luck from distance but the keeper effortlessly caught the dipping ball.
Andrea Barzagli – 7 – Adventurous
Pressed up high to help Lichtsteiner pile more pressure on Lucas Digne, and gave added passing options in doing so. In teaming up with Bonucci and Chiellini at the back the Giallorossi were helpless to break open any clear scoring chances
Leonardo Bonucci – 7.5 – Stellar
Made sure to stop Roma’s linkage of play up the centre of the pitch by cutting out passes and lobbing balls forward with pin point accuracy. His ability to clean up any loose ball inside the area was unquestioned for 90 minutes.
Giorgio Chiellini – 7 – Guardian
A fortress at the back to stop crosses coming in for Dzeko and was surprisingly fast to close down counter attacking runs by Florenzi up the flank. His clear dominance in the air proved to be a great asset amongst his defensive partners.
Stephan Lichtsteiner – 6 – Quiet
Pressed up high but never seemed to inflict any scares on Roma or Lucas Digne in attack and was also found way offside on one buildup play. After some good defensive contributing early in the second half he was replaced by the livelier Juan Cuadrado.
Sami Khedira – 6.5 – Versatile
Never put a foot wrong in a dominant first half showing with Juve. He bossed a crowded midfield with interceptions and easily nicked the ball off his opponents while also curling in crosses from out wide when able.
Claudio Marchisio – 7.5 – Valuable
Very gifted with his one touch passes and marauding runs up the midfield with a dangerous juggling move in particular that forced Antonio Rudiger into a foul. Five tackles and two dribbles won throughout his 90 minutes show how well rounded his abilities are.
Paul Pogba – 7.5 – Visionary
Made it very hard for Roma to take him off the ball with his pace and strength. While his two shot attempts were off the mark he made a series of jaw dropping passing plays that eventually resulted in an assist for Dybala.
Patrice Evra – 7 – Impressive
Squandered two glorious back to back scoring chances after picking up possession alone inside the penalty area and was robbed from close range in the second half by Szczesny in the second half. Otherwise he was a constant threat for the visitors to gave plenty of creativity and services up the left flank for the Bianconeri. Unfortunately his yellow card means he will miss the next match with suspension.
Paulo Dybala – 8 – Clinical
Showed outstanding control to bring down a long ball from Bonucci as chip Szczesny in the first half but was flagged for offside. While his free kick attempts were less effective on the day, his lethality in open play proved itself as he notched his sixth goal in seven Serie A games with an inch perfect shot in the 77th minute.
Mario Mandzukic – 6.5 – Bruised
Worked hard to pick up passes up front and hold up play, but often found himself involved in fouls whether committing or drawing them as he ended up never managing to register an effort at goal.
Substitutes
Juan Cuadrado – 6.5 – Impactful
Filled in for Stephan Lichtsteiner and added a clear injection of life and movement up the right wing. His pace allowed him to nearly create a goalscoring chance as he chased down the ball and whipped in a cross from the byline. A shot on target of his own made his impact well noticed as he gave Roma added stress.
Alvaro Morata – N/A
Source: forzaitalianfootball.com