Juventus 1-0 AS Roma: 5 Talking Points

Juventus closed the gap on table-toppers Napoli to just a point as a Medhi Benatia strike ensured a slender 1-0 win over AS Roma at the Allianz Stadium.

Some terrible man-marking and lax defending allowed the Bianconeris to take the lead, as former Roma man Benatia found the back of the net with the second bite of the cherry, having initially struck the crossbar.

Following a sluggish opening half, Roma upped the ante in the final 20 minutes with an improved show, but failed to net the all-important equaliser.

Here are the major talking points from the high-octane Serie A clash:

#1 Ex-Romans come back to haunt Giallorossi

In what was an interesting development, three players from Juve's starting XI for the evening had played for AS Roma in the past, and Wojciech Szczesny, Miralem Pjanic and more importantly Benatia, all came back to bite their former side by engineering a vital win for their current one.

In front of the net, Szczesny belted out a terrific display of goalkeeping, pulling off a string of fine saves to consistently deny his former colleagues. In the final 20 minutes when the visitors applied the pressure, the former Roma shot-stopper held his nerve and repelled everything that they threw at him.

Pjanic, the creative genius in this Juventus side, was once again at his best, delivering a dangerous cross into the box which was eventually converted by Benatia. Benatia though damaged his former side the most, with his goal proving to be the difference between the two sides.

#2 Roma found wanting again against a bigger side

Roma were simply no match for Juventus on the night

Whilst the Giallorossi have lost only thrice in the league so far, all three of their defeats have come against the top three sides in the table - Napoli, Juventus and Inter Milan.

Roma have definitely proven to be an intimidating outfit in other competitions, such as the Champions League, but when it comes to the domestic top-flight, they've been found wanting against the mightier sides. And this must change, fast.

On all three occasions, the Rome club looked a poor imitation of their Champions League selves and cut a forlorn figure with an abject display. It looked as though they were bogged down by the underdog tag, entering the game with a defeatist mindset, something that must change if they are to harbour any hopes of winning the title.

#3 Juventus suffocate Roma with a taut defence

AS Roma struggled to break down the Juventus wall

The Juventus defence was back to its best, keeping AS Roma at arm's length throughout the game.

Whilst the visitors' attack was silent for large spells of the match, the Bianconeri ensured any attempt to even instigate an attack was nipped in the bud. Juventus were happy to let Roma have the ball, but didn't let them make anything out of it as the home side's stringent defensive phalanx foiled the visitors' efforts.

That being said, the backline was ably backed by the bulwark that was Szczesny, who made numerous vital saves to keep the hosts from ceding their lead.

Juve's new defensive set-up appeared to stutter in the initial games as they conceded 14 times in the first 13 games. However, they haven't let in any since then, maintaining a clean-sheet for the sixth consecutive time in all competitions.

#4 Edin Dzeko and Gonzalo Higuain - A tale of two strikers

Gonzalo Higuain and Edin Dzeko are at the opposite ends of the spectrum

In a game where neither of the attacking vanguards managed to make an impact in terms of getting on the scoresheet, Edin Dzeko and Gonzalo Higuain still summed up their contrasting form. Whilst one struggled yet again, the other caused all sorts of problems despite drawing a blank eventually.

Dzeko, who enjoyed a prolific run early on in the season, is running out of juice, failing to fire for the 11th time in a row in the league. The Bosnian struggled to even get a whiff of the ball, let alone strike the back of the net, and was left frustrated yet again.

Even though the midfield could be blamed for a lack of creativity that left him devoid of service, Dzeko's failure to produce anything noteworthy for his side indicates the form he is in.

At the other end, Higuain, despite not hitting the back of the net, managed to at least test the visiting defence, indicating it was merely an off day for him and not a pale patch. The burly Argentine was full of spirit and his exploits in the final third left the Roman defence in tatters.

#5 Juventus slowly kicking into gear

A seventh consecutive Scudetto?

Some inconsistencies and indifferent showings in the first few games held Juventus back as they dropped crucial points early on. With Napoli and Inter Milan enjoying strong runs, Max Allegri's swashbuckling side were left to play catch-up. But having leveled things up in the recent weeks, the tides are turning and Juventus are on the ascendancy.

Reducing the gap at the top from six to just one, the Bianconeri have hit their stride. With Napoli and Inter showing signs of slowing down, Juve couldn't have timed their surge better. They're leading the Nerazzurri by four points and sit hot on the heels of the Partenopei with just a point separating them.

Juventus have begun to show their true colours, and it doesn't bode well for the rest of the league.