Juventus crushed Empoli at home to continue their revival, as goals from Moise Kean, Weston McKennie and Adrien Rabiot sealed the win.
Juventus made the best of their chances to put four goals past Empoli at the Allianz Stadium. The Turin giants took another significant step towards revival from a disastrous start to their season. Massimilano Allegri will be pleased with the outcome as Juventus move a point ahead of Inter Milan into 7th on the table.
Moise Kean opened the scoring in the eighth minute by being at the right place to tap in a beautiful cross from Filip Kostic. The strike was the Italian’s first since April for the club. He then missed a gilt-edged chance to double the advantage, failing to hit the target from a Weston McKennie cross.
The American would eventually double the score in the second half. McKennie headed in from the corner as he continued to make a habit of becoming a threat from set pieces. There were chances on both ends as the clock winded down. However, it was Juventus who took their chances to kill the game late on.
Adrien Rabiot scored a late brace to finish off the game. The first came after the Frenchman converted a terrific cross from Juan Cuadrado. He later made it four with a simple tap in from close range. This is an important win for Juventus heading into a crucial period that could define their season.
Wojciech Szczesny: 6/10
Szczesny made smart saves in the first half and was largely a pedestrian in the second period. Those stops proved instrumental in keeping the scoreline in Juventus’s favour until the home team doubled the advantage. A clean sheet, in the end, was well deserved.
Daniele Rugani: 6/10
Rugani was composed at the back, and playing against former sides always provides extra motivation. He managed to keep Satriano quiet, which was his task in the defence.
Leonardo Bonucci: 6/10
Bonucci was rusty in his display but did enough to earn a clean sheet. The veteran was composed at the back, but his long balls lacked the usual accuracy. He appeared to have suffered a muscular problem at the end of the first half but shook it off to see the rest of the match.
Danilo 8/10
Danilo was Juventus’ best man in the backline, making important interventions in critical moments. He was tight in defence and proved difficult for Empoli attackers to penetrate. To cap off a strong performance, the Brazilian provided the assist for the fourth goal.
Juan Cuadrado – 7/10
Cuadrado had a disastrous start to the game after moments of sloppiness, including loose passes in dangerous areas. He did redeem himself with a controlled performance, including two assists during the game.
Bossing up and down the right hand side, just @WMckennie things 🤷♂️#JuveEmpoli pic.twitter.com/8prTO6aXZo
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) October 21, 2022
Weston McKennie: 7/10
Another game where McKennie made the most of his chance, as the American was instrumental in the victory. Once again, he proved useful from set pieces after heading in the second goal from a Cuadrado corner. Earlier, he had set up Kean for a clean header, which the striker put wide.
Manuel Locatelli: 8/10
Locatelli was key to Juventus’s controlled display. The Italian midfielder dictated the tempo and commanded the area well. His precise passing started many attacking moves but gave his side the required momentum.
Locatelli: “This year I know the expectations on me are raised, I want to give my best. Something clicked for us as a group, we are more united. From the difficulties we’ve had, you can see men, you need heart to wear this jersey and that's what we're trying to do.” (@SkySport) pic.twitter.com/uxxOKCIyLZ
— JuveFC (@juvefcdotcom) October 21, 2022
Adrien Rabiot: 8/10
The two late goals will boost his confidence sufficiently, as Rabiot’s recent performances have been good. The French midfielder bossed the central areas well and provided a great outlet to bring the ball into forward areas. He should continue playing regularly in this midfield for the next games.
Filip Kostic: 7/10
Kostic has recently made the left flank his spot in the team, and his performance level has improved with each game. The Serb was an attacking outlet on the wing and did provide a brilliant assist for Kean’s opener.
Dusan Vlahovic: 5.5/10
Vlahovic was expected to have another impactful game for Juventus, but his night fizzled out of relevance. His influence waned as the game went by, and he was eventually substituted midway through the second half.
Moise Kean: 7/10
Ａｎｏｔｈｅｒ#JuveEmpoli goal for Moise 🎯👏 pic.twitter.com/FykV9iqNMD
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) October 21, 2022
Kean got off the mark for the season at home, and the goal will do his confidence plenty of good. He did miss a sitter soon after the opener and will rue that chance. There are still question marks about his overall performance, but with Arkadiusz Milik lurking, Kean will need to be consistent and lethal.
SUBSTITUTES
Leandro Paredes: 5/10
Paredes replaced McKennie as Allegri went with protecting the lead rather than looking for more goals.
Arkadiusz Milik: 5.5/10
Milik did not take his opportunities well, as he missed two great chances to score since coming on.
Alex Sandro: 5/10
Sandro helped shore up the defence to protect the lead on the scoreboard.
Fabio Miretti: 6/10
Miretti had a bright cameo since coming on and had a wonderful chance to score, but he could not beat the Empoli keeper.
Samuel Iling-Junior: N/A
Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
