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Juventus played today's Derby Della Molle with their sights set on a ninth consecutive Serie A title as they beat Torino 4-1 to go seven points clear at the top.
With only nine games to go and Lazio, only a few points behind them, the Bianconeri had no intentions of resting on their Serie A lead. Torino, on the other hand, lie in mid-table obscurity with little to lose except pride that comes with beating your local rival at their home.
Juventus eventually won with a three-goal margin, and there wasn't a point during the game when they looked like losing.
As expected, the giants of Turin dominated the match from the very beginning and never took their foot off the throttle. Notably, the very first goal came from the Juventus only three minutes into the game, as a slow-to wake Torino side were caught idling right at the start.
After a few back-and-forth moments from either side of the pitch, Juan Cuadrado moved down the flank and played the ball to Paulo Dybala's feet. The 26-year-old dribbled with flair in-between his unsuspecting markers and opened up space to cut inside before curling the ball past Salvatore Sirigu and into the net.
Torino quickly found their footing and put some energy into creating chances in the final third, but the Bianconeri were up for it. The hosts also sought out opportunities to double their lead, but nothing came out of them until Juan Cuadrado's goal.
It was a ruthless and incisive counter-attack from a Torino corner that saw il Toro falter defensively once more, unable to stop the pacey Juventus attack from seeing the counter through. Cristiano Ronaldo drove the ball forward, held it up with expert dribbling, and laid it on for the marauding Cuadrado.
With a quick movement, the attacking full-back put the ball on his stronger right foot and sent a low, powerful shot into the back of the net.
Things seemed to unexpectedly turn to Torino's favour when, after a VAR check, referee Fabio Maresca handed them a penalty. It was a controversial call as a shot from Simeone Verdi hit Matthijs de Ligt on the forearm.
Even though there were arguments from the Juventus players, the VAR decision stood. It was Andrea Belotti who slotted it home for his side and put Torino back into contention, right on the cusp of half-time.
However, this was merely a minor setback for the Bianconeri who, 20 minutes into the second half, scored their third goal of the game: They received a freekick in a central area with Cristiano Ronaldo set to take it.
The ball rose well above the wall and dipped in time to get under the bar and into the back of the net. Goalkeeper Sirigu got a touch on the ball, but there was little else he could have done to stop the powerful freekick as Ronaldo scored his first Serie A freekick.
Torino were clearly defeated by this time, but a fourth goal came bumbling into their net after an own goal by Koffi Djidji. A whipped cross was dipped into the box by Danilo and deflected off Djidji - only just subbed into the game - and found its way to the net.
Without further ado, let's take a look at Juventus' player ratings:
Juventus' player ratings
Gianluigi Buffon - 7/10
The veteran goalkeeper played his 648th Serie A game today, breaking the record for the player with the most Serie A appearances. Notably, he capped it off with a good performance as he made five saves and conceded only from the spot-kick.
Juan Cuadrado - 10/10
The Colombian superstar exceeded expectations once more today as he picked up an assist and got himself on the scoresheet. Playing as a right-back for Juventus, he demanded the ball, pulled strings, controlled the game, drove forward without hesitation and wreaked total havoc on Torino.
Leonardo Bonucci - 6/10
While the veteran Juventus defender was efficient enough in defence, he seemed to struggle at times and couldn't really improve on his performance. To his credit, he ensured his long passes were accurate, and he helped to recycle possession from the back.
Matthijs de Ligt - 6/10
More explosive than his older counterpart, the former Ajax star Mattijs de Ligt manned the Juventus defensive line well, performed his duties efficiently and kept his passing accuracy high. However, his performance was dented by the handball foul (and yellow card) that led to Torino's lone goal.
Danilo - 7/10
Keeping up pace with Juan Cuadrado, Danilo spent a lot of time marauding the left flank and seeking out chances for Juventus in the final third. While he was unable to make a major impact on the game, he was clearly a thorn in Torino's side with his dribbles and interceptions.
Miralem Pjanic - 6/10
In the short stint he had on the pitch, Miralem Pjanic looked to seek out final-ball opportunities and picked up three key passes along the way. While he didn't do much else - due to the limited time he had to play - he gave a good performance for Juventus.
Adrien Rabiot - 7/10
Playing on Miralem Pjanic's left side, the former PSG star Adrien Rabiot sought to recycle possession, hold the ball in midfield and patiently seek out opportunities. This didn't stop him from playing in the occasional long ball, or taking on his marker, and he also played his part in the Juventus defence.
Rodrigo Betancur - 6/10
Notably, the 23-year-old had a bad day at the office for Juventus when it came to passing the ball. Besides that, however, he put much of his strength into defending, as he picked up six tackles. He certainly could have done more overall today.
Federico Bernardeschi - 6/10
Unable to do much either, Federico Bernardeshi was poor in front of goal today, and he did rather little to influence the proceedings for Juventus at any point. It didn't come as a surprise when he was substituted off in the 54th minute after an underwhelming performance.
Paulo Dybala - 9/10
Opening the scoring for Juventus with his brilliant goal, Dybala maintained momentum throughout the game and put a lot of pressure on the Torino defence. He dribbled with flair, creatively sought out his teammates with passes and got himself on the scoresheet.
Cristiano Ronaldo - 10/10
Glad to have put his freekick drought spell for Juventus behind him, the 35-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo was explosive today.
He led a counter-attack, brought in his teammates and laid the ball off to Cuadrado to get his name on the assist sheet. His brilliant performance saw him pick up a goal as well from a classy and well-taken freekick.
Substitutes:
Gonzalo Higuain came on too late to achieve much.
Douglas Costa (6/10) linked with his teammates well after coming on for Federico Bernadeschi in the second half.
Blaise Matuidi (5/10) didn't achieve anything and made rather poor passes.
