20 September 2014
A second-half Carlos Tevez effort enabled the Bianconeri to silence the San Siro and maintain an imperious start to the Serie A campaign with this evening’s deserved 1-0 victory over Milan.
The Argentine’s second goal in as many years against the Rossoneri was no less than the visitors deserved following a disciplined and controlled performance against a side who have enjoyed a recent revival under new boss Filippo Inzaghi.
Set up by Paul Pogba’s through pass which split the hosts’ rearguard on 71 minutes, Tevez kept his calm to guide a low finish past Christian Abbiati and ensure a winning return to his former club for Massimiliano Allegri.
Juventus started well in the cauldron of the Giuseppe Meazza and the returning Roberto Pereyra, Allegri’s only change from Tuesday’s win over Milan, was first to go close on six minutes with a curling shot from the fringes of the area that passed over the bar.
Goalscoring opportunities were, however, few and far between during a cagey opening period in which both Serie A heavyweights found themselves embroiled in a tightly-contested midfield battle.
It was the visitors who looked slicker with the ball at their feet, with a series quick of interchanges enabling them to gain increasing territory in the Rossoneri half as they probed for a way in behind enemy lines.
But the pendulum then swung in the hosts’ favour and Gigi Buffon’s services were required to palm Honda’s header away to safety on 27 minutes – the game’s first genuine goalscoring attempt at that stage.
Stirred by Milan’s opportunity, Juventus raised the tempo and brought the game to life by fashioning three chances in quick succession. Again Pereyra was at the heart of the action, this time teeing up Fernando Llorente for a close-range attempt that was smothered by Abbiati just past the half-hour mark.
The Spaniard then repaid the favour by setting his team-mate up three minutes later, with Abbiati proving equal to the Argentine’s lowside-footed effort from the edge of the area.
Now with the wind firmly in their sails, the visitors were to go even closer to breaking the deadlock on 37 minutes when Claudio Marchisio unleashed a firm left-footed strike from the edge of the area, only to see his shot cannon agonisingly back off the post.
Having been forced to weather a heavy spell of pressure towards the closing stages of the first-half, Milan emerged with greater composure to their play after the break but it was still the Bianconeri who looked the most threatening in the final third.
Finding themselves with greater space in which to venture forward from deep, midfield duo Pogba and Marchisio both tried their luck with respective attempts that were deflected and drifted just past the post shortly before the hour.
With Milan tiring as an authoritative Bianconeri strengthened their command on possession, Carlos Tevez pounced to gather Pogba’s intricate through ball before tucking a cool finish into the opposite corner on 71 minutes.
