Sassuolo 3-3 Juventus: 5 talking points as the Bianconeri squander two-goal lead against the Neroverdi | Serie A 2019-20
Juventus saw a two-goal lead slip for the second time in a week, with a second-half fightback from Sassuolo ensuring both sides shared the spoils at the Estadio Maipei-Citta.
It took just six minutes for the visitors to open the scoring, with birthday boy Danilo converting a corner by Miralem Pjanic. Their lead was doubled less than five minutes later after Gonzalo Higuain finished an exquisite through ball by Pjanic.
Juventus totally outplayed their hosts at this stage and threatened to run away with the match but Sassuolo slowly grew into the game at the midway point of the first half and forced Wojciech Szczesny into some great saves.
Filip Djuricic halved the deficit in the 29th minute with a smart finish and Sassuolo ended the first half on the ascendancy, with good chances falling the way of Federico Peluso and Domenico Berardi, none of whom managed to take it.
The second half began the way the first ended. Berardi made amends for his earlier misses, curling home from a direct freekick to draw the game level in the 51st minute.
Just three minutes later, he turned provider for Francesco Caputo, who converted at an empty far post after a beautifully-worked team move to take Sassuolo into the lead for the first time.
The lack of control prompted Maurizio Sarri to make some changes. He introduced Paulo Dybala in place of Gonzalo Higuain and the Argentine's introduction helped add some bite and spark to the Juventus attack.
Sassuolo's lead was cut short just ten minutes later when an unmarked Alex Sandro rose to head home a corner by Federico Bernadeschi, although the defence should have done better.
There was a moment of controversy which seemingly went unnoticed as Juventus were allowed to make five changes across four different periods, which goes against the rule that allows five changes in three windows.
The final 15 minutes of the match was an open encounter, with both sides going for the win, although it was the hosts who had the better chances, with Szczesny making two fine saves and Douglas Costa tracking back to clear off the line.
Up next for Juventus would be the visit of an out-of-sorts Lazio, while Sassuolo would travel to face a floundering Cagliari.
Here, we shall be highlighting five talking points from the riveting Serie A fixture.
#5 Defensive concerns remain for Juventus
In each of the last eight Serie A campaigns, Juventus posted the best defensive record in the league and it is no hidden secret that their incredible success in recent years has been founded on a rock-solid defence.
This season has, however, been different and despite possessing some truly great defenders, the Bianconeri have shipped in goals for fun and their total of 35 conceded goals after just 33 matches is more than they managed for the entirety of the last two seasons.
They have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last five Serie A games, while they also conceded nine goals in games against AC Milan, Atalanta and now Sassuolo.
#4 Atalanta retain outside chance of shock Serie A win
With Inter Milan and Lazio having imploded post-lockdown, the coast was seemingly clear for Juventus to stroll their way to a ninth consecutive league title but recent capitulations by the champions themselves mean that they are stuttering their way towards the home run of the campaign.
An unlikely challenger has emerged in the form of Atalanta, with the Bergamo side undoubtedly the form team in the land. They can indeed consider themselves unlucky not to have defeated Juventus in the last round, with two contentious penalties giving the Turin giants a scarcely deserved point.
With this draw, Juventus are just seven points clear of La Dea and while they still hold their destiny in their hands, an upset in their clash with Lazio next week could pave the way for an exciting title run-in.