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Goals from Arthur Melo and Weston McKennie helped Juventus return to winning ways in the 2020-21 Serie A with a 2-0 win against Bologna.
Summer signing Arthur Melo scored his first Juventus goal, albeit with a deflected shot, while Weston McKennie scored a header 20 minutes from time to help the Bianconeri see out a resolute Bologna side. In the process, Andrea Pirlo's men kept a rare clean sheet.
Heading into the weekend, Juventus were handed a shot in the arm, as league leaders AC Milan fell to an unexpected 0-3 defeat against Atalanta. Elsewhere, second-placed Inter Milan, who had got the better of Juventus last weekend, dropped points in an ill-tempered clash against Udinese.
Handed a relatively easier mid-table game against Bologna, Juventus capitalised on the slip-up of their rivals to make up ground in the title race.
The hosts were without regular left-back Alex Sandro, who had tested positive for COVID-19. But a 2-0 win over Napoli in the Italian SuperCup final in midweek seemed to boost the morale of Andrea Pirlo and co..
The gaffer made just a solitary change to his XI from that game, replacing Federico Chiesa with Federico Bernardeschi. However, Matthijs de Ligt, who had recently made a recovery from COVID-19, could only make the Juventus bench.
The game had a rather patchy start, and the first half was mostly a drab affair. Arthur's deflected goal was a rare bright aspect in the first forty-five. However, the Bologna goalkeeper did keep Cristiano Ronaldo and Federico Bernardeschi at bay.
Post the interval, Bologna came out all guns blazing, but an equaliser was not to be because of their poor finishing.
Juventus were soon back in the ascendancy, and the pressure told in the 70th minute when the defending champions doubled their lead courtesy Weston McKennie. The American teen sensation showed yet again why he is integral to coach Pirlo's plans; however, Cristiano Ronaldo endured a rare listless outing.
On that note, let us take a look at how the hosts fared on a scale of 1-10:
Wojciech Szczesny - 7/10
Wojciech Szczesny hardly had anything to do in the first half. But the 30-year old did extremely well to deny the visitors in the second forty-five, en route to registering a rare clean sheet.
Juan Cuadrado - 7/10
Juan Cuadrado had a mixed outing. He was scrappy in the initial period and almost conceded a goal. However, he bagged an assist and combined well with Alvaro Morata. Cuadrado could have scored in the dying moments of the game.
Leonardo Bonucci - 6.5/10
It was a comparatively quiet outing for Leonardo Bonucci, who dealt with Bologna's attacking forays with ease. The Italian centre-back showed an excellent range of passing before he was replaced by De Ligt with fifteen minutes left to play.
Giorgio Chiellini - 6/10
Giorgio Chiellini picked up a booking early in the second half. The veteran defender seems to be on the wane but was clinical in aerial duels.
Danilo Luiz - 6.5/10
The Brazilian left-back made timely runs on the left flank and also lunged in for a few crunch decisive tackles. However, there were no key moments of note from the rapidly evolving Juventus workhorse.
Weston McKennie - 8/10
It was a headline-worthy performance from the new kid on the block. Weston McKennie was deployed on the right flank in a 4-4-2 formation but drifted towards the cente as the game wore on.
He made up for a non-performing Rodrigo Bentacur in midfield and his sense of positioning and rugged style of play shone on the night.
Arthur Melo - 6.5/10
Apart from scoring his first Juventus goal, Arthur was overran in midfield and failed to help his side stamp its authority in midfield.
Rodrigo Bentancur - 5/10
It was a largely shoddy performance from the Uruguayan. Rodrigo Bentancur chased the ball for large parts and failed to link up with his defence, leaving a lot of space that could have been exploited by a better attack than Bologna's.
Federico Bernardeschi - 5.5/10
Federico Bernardeschi should have buried a few clear-cut chances that came his way. However, the Italian playmaker failed to pose a threat from the left flank and looked out of position in Juventus' 4-4-2. Bernardeschi also lacked the end product when opportunities came his way.
Cristiano Ronaldo - 6/10
Cristiano Ronaldo could not do enough with the ball at his feet. He endured an afternoon of miscued free-kicks, uninspiring attempts on goal and scratchy passes.
Dejan Kulusevski - 5.5/10
The Swedish centre-forward barely had any impact on the game and hardly got a swipe at goal. Dejan Kulusevski also failed to combine with Cristiano Ronaldo up front.
Ratings of Juventus Substitutes
Alvaro Morata - 6/10
Alvaro Morata had an immediate impact after coming on in the 70th minute, playing a quick one-two with Juan Cuadrado before unleashing a shot on goal.
He also put the ball on a platter for the lacklustre Cristiano Ronaldo, only for the opposition defence to regroup quickly and avert the danger.
Adrian Rabiot, Aaron Ramsey, Matthijs de Ligt, Merih Demiral - N/A.
