AS Roma 1-1 Juventus: 5 talking points

10 men AS Roma huffed and puffed but secured a solitary point as they fought back from a goal down to earn a deserving 1-1 draw at Stadio Olimpico to stay 9 points adrift of leaders Juventus.After a cagey affair in the first half, the deadlock was broken in the 64th minute through an exquisite free-kick by Carlos Tevez after Vasilis Torosidis was given the marching orders for a second bookable offence. The home side did their damnedest in the search of an equaliser subsequently, and were rewarded with one when Seydou Keita rose the highest and headed the ball into the net from a close range 12 minutes from time.The result keeps the Bianconeris unperturbed at the summit and firmly in contention for a 4th Scudetto on the bounce. Here are the 5 talking points from the encounter.

#1 Seydou Keita finally proves his mettle

Keita had a bright evening where he harrowed the Juve defence throughout the course of 90 minutes, capping off with a sublime header which levelled the terms and was the creme-de-la-creme of his side.

The former Barcelona man provided the much-needed creativity from the centre of the park and his darting runs into the box were simply incommodious for the visiting team. Keita completed 85% of his passes and won every aerial duel that came his way. He also won a WhoScored rating of 7.6.

His best moment of the evening however, came in the 78th minute when he leapt above the rest to clinically head the ball into the onion bag from Alessandro Florenzi’s well taken free-kick and cancelled out Tevez’s opener.

Keita had his best game of the season for Roma and this should absolve him of the criticisms he has been targetted with for quite a some time this term.

#2 The end is near for the old warhorses of Roma

Age seems to be the biggest worrying factor for the Roma veterans Francesco Totti and Daniel de Rossi, whose influence on the team is waning with each passing week. And that was very clear last night.

Totti, 38, often dropped off the line leaving the home side with no thorough attacking outlet and was also the one to be held accountable for Roma’s slow build up play. Similarly his Italian compatriot de Rossi, was just as ineffective. The 32-year dropped deep in the midfield and executed long passes that barely made the grade.

His only noteworthy contribution in the game was a challenge on Alvaro Morata, which was rather gratuitous.

Both of them were eventually subbed off in the favour of Iturbe and Nainggolan respectively, after 70 minutes of putrid showing.

#3 Substitutions did the trick for Roma

Iturbe lit up the game for Roma after he came on.

After the introduction of Juan Iturbe, the whole dynamics of the game took a 180-degree turn. The Argentine brought the much-needed tenacity to the frontline and Roma’s attack suddenly gathered pace. The home side attacked at will and pressurized the Bianconeris greatly.

The 21-year old, who is touted as the “new Lionel Messi” by the Italian media, then won his side a vital opportunity in the form of a free-kick, which was significantly converted by Keita. Radja Nainggolan too, who replaced the underwhelming De Rossi, hammered in some intensity and troubled the Juve defence.

Had it not been for their stellar workmanship in the final few minutes of the game, the final outcome wouldn't have been the same for the Romans.

#4 Roberto Pereyra steps up to the plate

The visitors were without the services of their talismanic midfielders Andrea Pirlo and Paul Pogba, both of whom were sidelined on account of injuries. Juventus were touted to struggle in the midfield sans the aforementioned duo, but Roberto Pereyra made sure the critics were wrong about it.

Eyebrows were raised when Juventus signed the 21-year old on loan from Serie A rivals Udinese but the Argentine, after yesterday's performance, has surely put all the doubts that smeared his move to rest.

From the kick-off to the final whistle, Pereyra was one of the better players for Juventus and deputised for the absence of Pirlo and Pogba with aplomb. The midfielder exhibited splendid proficiency on the ball with his electrifying pace and also made some incisive passes that Juve largely benefitted from. Also, whether it was surging forward in counterattacks or scuttling back into his own half to impede an opponent, Pereyra was simply majestic.

He is a talented player and Allegri must hand more chances for him to express himself as he can be prove to be a battering ram for his squad.

#5 Despite the draw, Roma have very little to celebrate about

A defeat in this grudge clash would have all but ended Roma’s hope of claiming their first league triumph since 2001, but the stalemate hasn't done any better for their cause either.

In a game where a victory was a desiduratum, the home team instead, settled for a draw (for the 7th time in last 8 games) which still keeps them 9 points behind the Turin giants with only 13 rounds more to be played. Also with some key fixtures against Napoli, Torino, Lazio and both Milan sides still to come, the road to the finish line is getting murkier for the capital club.