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Juventus dispatched an industrious AC Milan side 2-0 at the San Siro to extend unbeaten run in the league to 13 games now. Mario Mandzukic and Cristiano Ronaldo combined to consign Gennaro Gattuso's men to a third defeat of the campaign, though the night was made worse by Gonzalo Higuain's penalty miss and a stunning red card.
The Argentine fluffed his lines from 12 yards early in the first-half to squander a chance to pull the Rossoneri level, but things came to a head later on in the match when he lost his cool at the referee and was given the marching orders.
The hosts were promising in bits and parts, producing fleeting moments of quality in the attacking third and also putting up a stern defensive show. Yet, they were no match for the high-flying Bianconeri, who are seemingly sailing towards an eighth consecutive league title.
Here are the major talking points from the match:
#1 Milan show stones, but lack organization
Oft-criticised for timid showings against the mightier sides in recent times, AC Milan have changed their attitude in big games like this since the last year or so. Against Juventus too, the hosts did their best to punch above their weight, but their tactical approach leaves a lot to be desired.
For starters, the midfield lacked any sense of solidity or robustness. Time and time again we could see the Bianconeri winning the ball back from the centre of the park with relative ease and break ahead. Secondly, this rendered the frontline of Higuain, Suso and Castillejo powerless as they were devoid of service for most of the time.
To put that into perspective, they registered only two shots on target on the night, one apiece from Higuain and Suso.
Milan's method of finding a breakthrough was only to press high up and hope Juve commit an error. And even though it did produce a few nervy moments, their overall gameplay was wafer-thin. Il Diavolo spent most of the time in their own half and unsurprisingly went down.
#2 Ronaldo is picking up the pace
Goalless in his first three appearances as a Juventus player, Cristiano Ronaldo now finds himself just one behind the league's top scorer Krzysztof Piatek after 13 fixtures. Such has been the upturn in form. You knew this was coming. And today, he scored another one to show he's getting back to his prolific best.
Buoyed by the stunning volley against Manchester United in the midweek, the Portuguese ace turned in a blinder today. He harried the Milan defence with his tireless runs and intelligent positioning. In fact, Ronaldo was the most dangerous player on the night with five shots, the last of which ended in the back of the net.
Joao Cancelo's initial effort was parried away by Donnarumma, but Ronaldo, exhibiting his pure poacher instincts, was at the right place to slam it home and put the tie to bed: that was his eighth league goal in nine games, and has struck in five of the last seven in all competitions.
Age seemed to be catching up with the star following his struggles in the initial weeks, but Ronaldo has stirred up the stumps now and his rich vein of form holds Juve in a good stead.
#3 Higuain's miserable night against his former colleagues
This was the first time that the Argentine striker was taking on Juventus since the summer swap for a season-long loan. He naturally hogged a considerable amount of limelight in the pre-match build-up. But far from impressing, Higuain's night against his former employers was marred by frustrations and a sullen red card.
Higuain didn't just struggle to impose himself in the match, he was downright ineffective. The former Bianconeri hitman barely tested the visiting defence and when provided with a gilt-edged opportunity to cut himself some slack with a penalty, he made a poor effort that Szczesny had no problems deflecting away.
His 31 touches on the ball were the joint least in the match. Higuain lacked composure on the ball as he was dispossessed twice too. But the final nail in the coffin was put when he completely lost it during the final 10 minutes, resulting in a red.
Higuain was booked for a foul on Benatia which greatly vexed the forward, leading him to accost the match official, who, without any warning, pulled out the red card and sent him for an early bath. His rants didn't stop there either, as Higuain was seen lashing at Ronaldo too, who apparently came forward to only console his former Real Madrid cohort.
This wasn't written on the tin. You have to feel for Higuain, especially when you consider this was an important game for him on a personal level too. But his untrammelled portrayal of exasperation was his own undoing. Oh, Pipa.
#4 Milan show Juventus defence can be broken
This wasn't exactly a memorable performance from the reigning Italian champions. It wasn't even the best of this weekend in the league. But Juventus did just enough to bag all three points and head into the international break on a positive note.
However, Milan did expose one vulnerability in the side, and that was that this backline can be beaten with pace and guile. The Rossoneri forgot their shooting boots at home, which is why they drew a blank. But had it been a team like Real Madrid or Barcelona, the result could've been much different.
The likes of Suso and Castillejo tried to press high up the park without the ball and it forced the visitors into a backpass on many an occasion. But there were two moments where the pressing did yield a chance as Juventus committed a mistake under pressure and allowed the Rossoneri to break forward.
In the second one, Higuain was able to force a mistake and quickly drove ahead to instigate a counter. It was conveniently dealt with by the diligence of Benatia, but it showed that Juventus tend to crack open under sustained pressure; something that United demonstrated in the final 20 minutes of the Champions League game just three days ago.
#5 Can anyone stop this Bianconeri juggernaut?
Juventus haven't played a perfect game every time. Take this fixture for instance where they were far from their ruthless best. Yet, it's a testament to their qualities of a champion that Allegri's men are regardless at the top of the table with 12 wins from 13 and six points clear of the pack.
They're also the only side remaining in the league yet to taste a defeat. And on current evidence, they won't do so for a foreseeable future.
Barring only Genoa, no team has even looked challenging enough to hold them to a draw so far. Their closest challengers, Napoli too, were dispatched 3-1 earlier in the league. Juventus have been maintaining this level of dominance since the last seven years, but the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo seems to have spurred them further.
Even when they are well below their best, teams are struggling to deliver the knockout blow. But the truth is, Juve's attritional game - like we saw here - wears opposition down so much that by the dying embers of the game, there's nothing really left in the tank. And no one in the league can boast this kind of squad depth either.
The Old Lady are going to run into their first setback someday or the other, but the fear is, by the time it happens, an eight successive Scudetto would've already been sewn up.
