With all eyes falling on Turin on Sunday night, historic rivals Juventus and AC Milan played out what was a largely uneventful 0-0 stalemate.
Watching chances come at a real premium during the first-half, former Chelsea star Christian Pulisic was handed the chance to steal centre stage as ex-Newcastle defender Lloyd Kelly clumsily brought down Santiago Gimenez in the box.
However, missing out on the chance to notch a fifth Serie A strike of the season, Pulisic blazed over from the penalty spot just eight minutes after the break.
Despite applying some late pressure, the returning Rafael Leao squandered a pair of golden opportunities in the final 10 minuets and former Juventus boss Max Allegri missed out on the chance to snatch all three points on his emotional return to Turin.
While French shot-stopper Mike Maignan might have produced a spectacular point blank save to deny Federico Gatti moments after the interval, Juve failed to find any kind of fluidity in the final third and they have now played out a stalemate in all of their previous five appearances across all competitions.
Failing to put a single victory on the board over the past six weeks, the Old Lady have also sacrificed their spot in the Champions League places.
In a heavyweight showdown that failed to produce the fireworks that neutrals from across the continent had been hoping for, we have taken a look at the main talking points from Turin.
Milan extend on their stellar start
Settling for an eighth-place finish among Italy’s elite last season and missing out on booking any kind of European ticket, AC Milan got a new era underway over the summer following Allegri’s arrival at the San Siro.
Despite getting the new campaign underway with a 2-1 defeat at home against Serie A newcomers Cremonese on August 23rd, Sunday’s guests have come roaring back in a sensational fashion.
Clinching a 2-1 victory against defending champions Napoli last weekend, the Rossoneri had won all of their previous five domestic appearances across all competitions ahead of Sunday’s trip to Turin.
While AC Milan might be rueing a real missed opportunity here as both Pulisic and Leao wasted golden second-half opportunities, Allegri’s camp have enjoyed a dominant start to proceedings.
Despite heading into October’s international break sat in bronze medal position, they have registered 13 points from their previous five outings and the mood in their camp should be at a real high.
Yet another draw for Juve
Winning all of their opening three Serie A appearances by an aggregate score of 7-3 and marking their return from September’s international break with a famous 4-3 victory against Inter Milan, it appeared that Juventus were starting to be considered a genuine title contender.
However, despite flying out of the traps when opening up the new campaign, Sunday’s hosts have largely failed to find a similar level over the past few weeks.
Suffering late heartbreak away at Spanish outfit Villarreal earlier in the week as they eventually had to settle for a 2-2 draw on foreign soil, Igor Tudor’s side have now played out a stalemate in all of their previous five appearances across all competitions.
Missing out on the chance to claim a heavyweight scalp before heading into October’s fortnight interval, Juventus also sacrificed their spot in the top-four.
Showing many of the inconsistencies that haunted them last season, Tudor’s camp must spend the next couple of weeks going back to drawing board and finding a way to reignite their campaign.
A night to forget for Leao
Although Leao might have returned from a muscle injury as he made a cameo appearance off the bench against Napoli last weekend, the 26-year-old is quickly becoming the forgotten man in Milan.
While Pulisic might have shockingly blazed his penalty over the bar just minuets after returning from the half-time break, the former Chelsea ace has quickly cemented his spot as the new poster boy at the San Siro.
With the USA international registering six direct goal contributions in as many appearances so far this season, it has been questioned where Leao would fit in this season.
Only notching eight Serie A strikes last season – his lowest domestic goal return since the 2020/21 campaign – Leao might have to accept that he will take a more backwards seat this year.
Squandering a pair of golden chances late on and missing out on the chance to leave Turin as Milan’s hero, the Portuguese international will face more backlash over the next fortnight.
Match Report
Juventus: Di Gregorio, Gatti, Rugani, Kelly, Kalulu, McKennie, Locatelli, Cambiaso, Conceicao, Yildiz, David
Subs: Openda, Thuram, Kostic, Vlahovic
AC Milan: Maignan, Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic, Bartesaghi, Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modici, Rabiot, Pulisic, Gimenez
Subs: Leao, Loftus-Cheek, Nkunku
Goals: N/A
Yellow Cards: N/A
Red Cards: N/A
Referee: Marco Guida
