Early goals from Merih Demiral and Cristiano Ronaldo were enough to see Juventus beat Roma at the Stadio Olimpico for the first time since 2014 and extend their lead to two points at the top of the table.
Juventus Player Ratings
Tek: Made some really smart saves after the first two goals as Roma pushed forward and was vital later in the game, even if Perotti’s header was straight at him. Looked in control and exuded his usual confidence throughout the game. 7.0/10
Juan Cuadrado: Some nice passes into the box in the opening half but his defensive work was lacking a little, and he picked up a needless yellow card early on. 6.0/10
Leonardo Bonucci: Led from the back with typical gusto and was in the right places at the right time. Four vital clearances and a stalwart display as Roma piled on the pressure late in the match. 6.5/10
Merih Demiral: Exceptional start as he fired Juventus ahead with a wonderful finish, shortly before making a vital interception. Unfortunately injured and had to come off for his own good, although he looked determined to continue. 7.0/10
Alex Sandro: Good runs forward, vital at the back too as his overall play was really important in the opening half. Looked sloppy in the closing ’45 as Roma pressured Juve back into their own half. 6.0/10
Midfield
Blaise Matuidi: Plenty of hustle in the opening half but little in the final third, as is always the case. 6.0/10
Adrien Rabiot: Looked much sharper in the midfield as he strode around the pitch with real authority and made a vital goal-line clearance but his petulance and attitude after misplacing passes or losing the ball was very frustrating. It would have been better to see him running back covering instead of flapping his arms needlessly at his teammates. That aside, it was encouraging. 6.5/10
Miralem Pjanic: His passing was way off at times with wayward overhead balls and risky plays in front of the back line. Didn’t really improve on that in the second half, an unusually off game. 5.5/10
Aaron Ramsey: Showed a lot of energy and invention and some good link-up with Ronaldo on occasions but just seemed to be lacking that vital pass or finish. An encouraging display from the midfielder. 6.5/10
Attack
Paulo Dybala: His movement was exceptional as he dropped deep, drifted wide and ultimately won the penalty that doubled Juve’s lead. Unfortunate that he was taken off so early as he was arguably one of Juve’ most creative players on the night. 7.0/10
Cristiano Ronaldo: Another game, another exceptional opening half as he played some delightful passes with his teammates before dispatching the penalty with a customary cool finish. Continued to be Juve’s main goal threat in the second half and should have done better with his headed effort. 7.0/10
Manager
Maurizio Sarri: Seemed to get the starting XI right as he opted for continuity and to get the team playing with some consistency after the heroics against Cagliari. Not convinced he made the right choices to switch to a 4-3-3 and have Juve play a little more defensive when Roma were able to easily get through the midfield. 6.5/10
Substitutes
Matthijs De Ligt: Looked a little ropey to start with and was booked for a cynical tackle on Zaniolo, but he didn’t put a foot wrong thereafter, ending the game with one vital tackle and seven clearances. A great return to action for the youngster. 6.5/10
Gonzalo Higuain: Two great goal-scoring chances, both wasted. He had to stay onside from Ronaldo’s pass and also had to finish with only the keeper to beat. 6.0/10
Danilo: Impressive little cameo as he protected the right-flank and also moved Juve up the pitch when the pressure was on. 6.0/10
