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- Bottom of the table Empoli hosted Allegri’s Juventus looking to continue their unbeaten start in Stadio Carlo Castellani.
- First half ended 1-0 as Danilo gave the visitors a lead with a cleverly taken goal, but Vlahović missed a penalty.
- A second goal from Chiesa gave the Old Lady a 2-0 lead late in the game, which they saw out comfortably.
Empoli player ratings: Berisha stands tall
Contents
Etrit Berisha 7/10: Saved a penalty to keep his side in the game, commanded his area impressively.
Bartosz Bereszyński 6/10: Got forward well, was disciplined tactically, but struggled against the pace of Chiesa in 1-v-1 situations.
Sebastian Walukiewicz 6/10: Played some racking long balls, but didn’t fare well in his ground duels.
Sebastiano Luperto /10: Confident on the ball, made a important tackle, but got caught in the air at times.
Giuseppe Pezzella 7/10: Galloped forward, created a big chance and at the same time recovered well to make defensive interventions.
Jacopo Fazzini 5.5/10: Strong on ground duels, progressed the ball by carrying well, but squandered his chances after arriving at the box late.
Răzvan Marin 6/10: Protected the back four well by winning his individual battles, but limited contributions on the ball.
Youssef Maleh 5/10: Conceded the penalty, committed unnecessary fouls at times and didn’t show for the ball enough.
Tommaso Baldanzi 6/10: Drew some fouls in critical phases of the game, worked hard off the ball but nothing significant on it.
Francesco Caputo 5.5/10: Got dispossessed at dangerous areas, lacked the legs to cause any serious trouble to the Juventus defence.
Nicolò Cambiaghi 5.5/10: Tried a hopeful long range shot, couldn’t provide the penetration needed on the ball.
Substitutes
Alberto Grassi 5/10: Added some energy and urgency in the engine room.
Matteo Cancellieri 5/10: Tried to make things happen by dribbling.
Mattia Destro 4/10: Couldn’t get involved in the game.
Viktor Kovalenko 5/10: Added some forward thrust with the ball.
Emmanuel Gyasi: N/A
Juventus player ratings: Chiesa creates chaos
Mattia Perin 6/10: Didn’t have to make a save, but played some decent long balls and claimed balls into the box well.
Danilo 7.5/10: Dominant at the back defensively and scored the opening goal. A real captain’s contribution.
Gleison Bremer 6.5/10: Dictated things defensively from the middle of the back three and dealt with any danger calmly.
Federico Gatti 7/10: Covered well for McKennie, an unnatural wing-back, and did the dirty work well.
Filip Kostić 7/10: Got up and down the pitch constantly, provided the width from wing-back and delivered some delightful crosses.
Adrien Rabiot 6.5/10: Operated in the left half-space to find some clever spaces, but got caught defensively at times.
Manuel Locatelli 6.5/10: Controlled the tempo from the regista role by constantly circulating the ball.
Fabio Miretti 6.5/10: Covered a lot of ground to recover the ball and make tackles, played some brave but risky passes when on it.
Weston McKennie 7/1o: Played with a bundle of energy in an unconventional wing-back role, an all-action performance.
Federico Chiesa 8/10: A constant danger with his ball carrying and direct running, played some lovely crosses and got the goal to cap off the performance.
Dušan Vlahović 5.5/10: Took a lot of shots but to no avail, including the missed penalty. Not a performance he would want to remember.
Substitutes
Paul Pogba 5/10: Injected some impetus on the ball.
Arkadiusz Milik 7/10: Got an assist and hit the woodwork coming of the bench.
Andrea Cambiaso 5.5/10: Added some extra solidity at the back
Timothy Weah: N/A
Moise Kean: N/A
Empoli vs Juventus Match Summary and Highlights
Danilo almost fired the Old Lady into the lead early but his goal was disallowed for a foul on goalkeeper Berisha. The Juventus captain got his goal a few minutes later, when he calmly slotted in the ball into the net after a scramble following a corner. Vlahović had a golden opportunity to double the lead after Gatti was brought down in the box. However, the striker failed to convert a penalty for the third straight time, as the half ended 1-0.
The second half continued in a similar manner as the Torinese continued to dominate attacking metrics but couldn’t kill the game off. Then a devastating counter attack created by a brilliant return pass from substitute Milik is finished off by Chiesa. Milik and Kean hit the post after that but the game finished 2-0.
Man of the Match
While captain Danilo should get a shout for his commanding display, Chiesa is the clear choice here. Pacy, tricky and direct, Chiesa was a thorn in Empoli’s defence throughout the game. His ability to carry the ball pushed the hosts back. He is slowly coming back to his best and that could be bad news for the rest of the teams in Serie A.
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