Juventus 3-1 Lazio: 5 talking points as Alvaro Morata brace keeps alive Bianconeri's title bid | Serie A 2020-21
Juventus picked up a huge win in their bid for the 2020-21 Serie A title, producing an impressive comeback in Turin to defeat Lazio 3-1. The result leaves Juventus third in the table, seven points behind leaders Inter Milan, while Lazio remain seventh, six points adrift of fourth-placed Atalanta.
Lazio opened the scoring in the 14th minute when they profited from Dejan Kulusevski giving the ball away. Joaquin Correa pounced and drove into the box, turning Merih Demiral inside out before hammering a low drive past Wojciech Szczesny.
A couple of controversial decisions took place as the game progressed before Adrien Rabiot equalised for Juventus in the 39th minute against the run of play. The Frenchman ran onto Morata's pass in the box before unleashing a howitzer into the gap at Pepe Reina's near post from a narrow angle.
The game turned in the space of three minutes on the hour mark, as Alvaro Morata put Juventus into the lead after an excellent counter-attack. The Spanish striker followed that up with a well-taken penalty after Sergej Milinkovic-Savic clumsily tripped Aaron Ramsey in the box.
Juventus held on to their lead despite Lazio coming close a couple of times to reducing the arrears on the night.
On that note, here are the major talking points from the game:
#1 VAR takes centre-stage yet again
As is the norm in football these days, both sides could claim to have been wronged by VAR during some potentially game-defining moments.
The IFAB have updated the rules of handball which are to come into effect this July. But it's anyone's guess how referees interpret those rules.
Juventus were denied what looked like a stonewall penalty as the ball ricocheted onto Wesley Hoedt's extended arm with Federico Chiesa lurking.
One can only assume proximity was the reason the penalty was denied. But the ball wasn't coming through at great speed anyway. Let's hope Marco di Bello, the VAR referee for this game, is allowed to explain his decision since it was unclear why the handball was denied.
A few minutes later, it was Lazio's turn to feel aggrieved, as Alex Sandro's rash elbow caught Joaquin Correa, but there was nothing forthcoming from VAR. There definitely was a case for a red card to be issued in this case.
#2 Alvaro Morata steps up for Juventus
Alvaro Morata has looked a man reborn since he returned to Turin last summer, striking up an excellent understanding with his former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.
It's no surprise then that he leads the league in assists (8) this season.
The Spanish forward had some goal-scoring to do on the night, too, in Cristiano Ronaldo's absence, answering Andrea Pirlo's call with aplomb. There were no sign of illness, as Morata ran the channels and took the few chances he had extremely well.
It was an excellent night's work for the 28-year-old, who looks miles better than the struggling forward in Chelsea and Atletico Madrid colours.