Torino 0-1 Juventus: Bianconeri player ratings as Manuel Locatelli settles Turin derby | Serie A 2021-22Β
A late goal by Manuel Locatelli helped Juventus secure a narrow 1-0 victory over city rivals Torino in a dour Turin derby.
The Bianconeri were fresh off their 1-0 win over Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League and they were looking to make it four consecutive victories in all competitions.
Juventus were without the services of Paulo Dybala and Alvaro Morata, who were both nursing injuries. Massimiliano Allegri made three changes to the side that saw off the Blues, with Giorgio Chiellini, Weston McKennie and Moise Kean all handed starts.
The first half was a largely forgettable affair, with neither side managing to show enough quality in the final third, although Torino were undoubtedly the better side.
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Juventus introduced Juan Cuadrado in place of Moise Kean at halftime and they slowly began to exert their dominance after the break.
Torino, however, showed doggedness at the back to restrict their more illustrious city rivals.
Juventus huffed and puffed in vain for most of the second half but simply could not find the breakthrough. Just when it seemed like both sides would settle for a share of the spoils, Locatelli stepped up with the match-winner.
Alex Sandro started the attack down the left flank and played in Federico Chiesa. The Fiorentina loanee in turn found his international teammate who took two touches to set himself up before curling the ball beyond Vanja Milinkovic-Savic's dive.
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Kaio Jorge came on in place of Chiesa for his Juventus debut with two minutes of normal time while Dejan Kulusevski struck the bar after a mazy run in the box.
The victory continued Juventus' resurgence and saw them climb to eighth spot in the table. It was also their first clean sheet in Serie A since registering a 3-0 victory over Spezia in March, a run of 20 league games without a clean sheet.
Here is a rundown of how the Juventus players fared in the game.
Juventus player ratings against Torino
Wojciech Szczesny - 6/10
The Juventus goalkeeper had a relatively quiet day at the office but he pulled off a superb save in the first half to deny Rolando Mandragora.
Alex Sandro - 7.5/10
The Brazilian was lively down the left flank and caused a lot of trouble for Wilfried Singo in the second half. He registered one shot on target and also kickstarted the move that led to the winning goal.
Giorgio Chiellini - 7/10
Chiellini put in a captain's performance at the back to help Juventus keep a clean sheet. He also acted as an auxiliary midfielder late in the game as his side chased the winning goal and was booked in the 82nd minute.
Matthijs de Ligt - 7/10
The Netherlands international was assured in defense alongside his skipper. He made two tackles and three clearances in addition to creating a chance in the game.
Danilo - 6.5/10
Danilo was not as attack-minded as his opposite full-back but he played his role in nullifying the threat posed by Josip Brekalo and Ola Aina.
Adrien Rabiot - 6/10
The 26-year-old hampered some Juventus attacks with his poor decision-making. His eagerness to charge at the Torino defense, however, helped his side gain the upper hand in the second half.
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Manuel Locatelli - 8/10
Manuel Locatelli made it two goals in his last three matches for Juventus with a well-taken strike. Before the goal, the 23-year-old had covered almost every blade of grass in what was a complete display from the former Sassuolo man.
Weston McKennie - 6/10
McKennie gave a solid display in midfield for Juventus although his passing was a bit erratic on occasion.
Federico Bernadeschi - 6/10
Federico Bernadeschi did not hit the target with his sole shot of the day and was replaced by Dejan Kulusevski in the 80th minute.
Moise Kean - 5/10
Moise Kean was practically non-existent in the first half and he managed just one shot before being taken off for Juan Cuadrado at halftime.
Federico Chiesa - 6.5/10
The Italy international had a rather quiet game by his high standards. He, however, continued his fine run of form for Juventus by providing the match-winning assist.
Substitutes
Juan Cuadrado - 7/10
His introduction instantly injected pace and verve into the Juventus attack. The visitors got into the ascendancy shortly after Cuadrado's introduction at halftime.
Dejan Kulusevski - 6/10
The Sweden international came on in the 80th minute and immediately started charging at the Torino defense. He showed great technique to dribble across the hosts' backline but saw his shot cannon off the bar in injury time.
Kaio Jorge - N/A
The 19-year-old finally made his Juventus bow after a spell out with injury. He had just three touches of the ball in the time he spent on the field.