Alvaro Morata was involved in all of the goals as Juventus came back from behind to beat Lazio 3-1 at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday night.
It was Lazio who made the brighter start to the game and were rewarded for it just 14 minutes in as Joaquin Correa capitalised on a misplaced pass from Juventus forward Dejan Kulusevski to slot the ball into the net. The Bianconeri were able to level things up in the 39th minute against the run of play, through Adrien Rabiot’s powerful hit from inside the box.
Federico Chiesa drew a save from Pepe Reina just five minutes after the break while Sergej Milinkovic-Savic saw his fierce header bounce off the bar at the other end soon after. And in the 57th minute, Juventus managed to pull ahead of Lazio courtesy of an Alvaro Morata strike, who then made it 3-1 a couple of minutes later from the penalty spot after Aaron Ramsey was fouled in the box.
Apart from the one moment when Ciro Immobile drew a fine stop from Wojciech Szczesny, Lazio failed to muster up any sort of fight as Juventus held on to their two-goal cushion to complete the comeback and bag three points. The result sees Andrea Pirlo’s men move to within a point of AC Milan in second place. Here’s how we rated the performances of the Juventus stars on the night.
Wojciech Szczesny: 6.5/10
Not much he could have done about the goal as he was left exposed by his defence. Made a decent stop to keep Milinkovic-Savic soon after the opener. Pulled off a spectacular stop to keep out Ciro Immobile’s long-range effort in the second half. Misplaced just three of his 25 passes on the night. Reliable.
Juan Cuadrado: 6/10
Back from injury, the Colombian slotted in at his usual right-back slot and provided a decent outlet going forward. However, his end product wasn’t always up to the mark. Did manage to complete three dribbles before being taken off in the second period.
Merih Demiral: 5.5/10
Turned inside-out way too easily by Correa in the lead-up to the opening goal. Recovered well from that point on though and did what was needed of him, making five clearances and four interceptions while staying composed on the ball.
Alex Sandro: 7/10
? | Alex Sandro stats vs Lazio:
• 103 Touches.
• 94.2%➖Passes completed
• 4/5 Aerial duels won
• 6/7 Ground duels won
• 8/9 Accurate long balls
• 1/1 Dribbles completed
• 2/2 Tackles completed
• 5 Interceptions
• 3 Clearances
• 3 Fouls wonImpressive. ??? pic.twitter.com/p2wqYDtZ4C
— Nisrin (@NisrinJuve) March 6, 2021
Starting as the left-sided centre-back the Brazilian did not look out of place in a makeshift position. Played out from the back effectively, completing 94% of his passes while staying responsible with his defensive duties as he made five interceptions and three clearances.
Federico Bernardeschi: 6.5/10
Picked at left-back in a surprising bit of selection, the Italian international fared decently in a position that he is not used to. Provided an outlet on the overlap and delivered a fine cross for Danilo in the first half which the Brazilian failed to convert. Not tested a great deal defensively.
Pirlo: “The most important thing was the three points. Danilo was ready to work in central midfield, while Bernardeschi deserves all the compliments for playing as a left-back.” [dazn] #juvelive
— Forza Juventus (@ForzaJuveEN) March 6, 2021
Danilo: 7/10
Needed to do better with a headed effort in the first half when he sent his shot just wide. Picked in the middle of the park to shield against the likes of Milinkovic-Savic and Luis Alberto, the former Real Madrid man defended fairly well without any major hiccups, attempting (6) and completing the most number of tackles (4) in the game, along with the most number of interceptions as well (8).
Adrien Rabiot: 7/10
Kickstarted the comeback for Juventus with a thumping strike to draw his team level prior to half-time. Kept things ticking along nicely when on the ball and worked hard off of it, producing three interceptions and four tackles. The goal will be a major boost for his confidence.
Dejan Kulusevski: 5/10
A sloppy pass led to the opening goal for Lazio. Failed to pull the trigger after being presented with a decent chance i the first half. Did complete two key passes on the night but needs to up his game if he is to play regularly for the Old Lady.
Aaron Ramsey: 6.5/10
Saw quite a bit of the ball and made smart use of it more often than not. Sent a curling effort wide off the mark in the first half but redeemed himself by winning the penalty in the second half which Morata converted to make it 3-1.
Federico Chiesa: 8/10
? | Chiesa stats vs Lazio:
• 75%➖Passes completed
• 2/3 Accurate long balls
• 2/4 Dribbles completed
• 2/4 Tackles completed
• 2 Interceptions
• 1 Key pass
• 1 Big chance created
• 1 AssistMasterclass. ??? pic.twitter.com/fYls4XSvsv
— Nisrin (@NisrinJuve) March 6, 2021
Another game, another enterprising display from Chiesa, who is fast growing into Juventus’ most reliable player this season. Made things happen in the final third every time he got on the ball. A brilliant run saw him jink past two Lazio defenders before unleashing a shot that was saved early in the second half. Made another good run before laying it off for Morata to make it 2-1.
Alvaro Morata: 9/10
The star of the show for Juventus on the night. Assisted Rabiot for the equalising goal with a neat pass, starting off the comeback before scoring twice in quick succession after the break to complete the turnaround in his side’s favour. Stepped up in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo and made his chance count.
Alvaro Morata has been directly involved in 15 goals in Serie A this season (7 goals, 8 assists), already more than he registered with Atletico from last term (14).
He's had a hand in all three for Juve so far tonight. ? pic.twitter.com/brHEX2H5Mk
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) March 6, 2021
SUBSTITUTES
Cristiano Ronaldo: 5/10
Replaced Morata in the 69th minute. Made just five touches.
Arthur Melo: 5/10
On for Cuadrado for the final twenty minutes to mark his return from injury. Didn’t do much of note.
Weston McKennie: 5/10
Came on to replace Ramsey for the final twenty minutes. Hardly got on the ball.
Leonardo Bonucci: N/A
On for Chiesa with less than ten minutes left.
Alessandro Di Pardo: N/A
Stoppage-time substitute for Kulusevski.
