Torino 0-1 Juventus: Player ratings as Manuel Locatelli seals Derby della Mole win
By Max Cooper
Juventus claimed the Derby della Mole bragging rights once again on Saturday evening, beating Torino 1-0 in a nervy affair in Turin.
The Bianconeri wasted a couple of great opportunities to break the deadlock early on, with Moise Kean dragging a shot wide, and Weston McKennie rifling well over the crossbar from inside the box.
Massimiliano Allegri's men then survived a scare of their own, after they failed to deal with a high ball into the box, but a header drifted just wide of Wojciech Szczesny's far post. Juve were then restricted to few attempts by a stubborn Torino backline, and the two sides headed into the break all square.
Juve were equally as stodgy in the second half, struggling to gain any real fluency in the final third. Alex Sandro did find himself free in the box, but his header was superbly saved by Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.
The Bianconeri dominated the ball in the final stages, and they finally find their goal, when Manuel Locatelli spun on the edge of the box and curled a beautiful strike into the bottom corner of the net, sparking wild scenes of celebration with the Juve supporters.
Dejan Kulusevski hit the post soon after, but Locatelli's goal was enough to clinch all three points on a tense evening in Turin, banking another important victory for Allegri's men.
Here are the Juventus player ratings.
Juventus player ratings
1. Goalkeeper & defenders
Wojciech Szczesny (GK) - 6/10 - Turned away a long-range drive with a strong pair of hands. Not convincing on a couple of high balls into the box.
Danilo (RB) - 6/10 - Juve always lack creativity on the right when Danilo steps into the role. Doesn't possess the speed and drive to get up and down the pitch.
Matthijs de Ligt (CB) - 6/10 - A bit of a nervy first half as crosses rained down on the Juve box. Got stuck into a physical battle with Antonio Sanabria.
Giorgio Chiellini (CB) - 6/10 - Beaten in the air a couple of times from dangerous balls from the left flank. Luckily, the efforts floated wide. Otherwise, hit his usually resolute levels.
Alex Sandro (LB) - 7/10 - Struck fear into Juve fans with some of his penalty box defending. Did almost open the scoring with a header, but saw his bullet saved. Proved problematic for Torino when powering forward.
2. Midfielders
Weston McKennie (CM) - 3/10 - Blazed over the bar from inside the box. Should be hitting the target. Another 'nothing' performance. No real end product, no help to the midfield or strikers. Nothing.
Manuel Locatelli (CM) - 8/10 - Man-marked by the opposition. Raced into the box to fire towards goal, but saw his shot deflected wide by a Torino defender. Won the game with a stunning piece of individual play to curl the ball home. What a player!
Adrien Rabiot (CM) - 5/10 - Rampaged into the area and cut the ball back, but his teammates couldn't profit. Painfully overhit a through ball to Kean which would have sent him clear on goal. Some decent runs but the final ball was nowhere to be seen.
3. Forwards
Federico Chiesa (RW) - 7/10 - Produced a few trademark explosive bursts in the first half, but could never get close enough to goal to make them count. Supplied the winner with excellent quick feet.
Moise Kean (ST) - 5/10 - Snatched at an early chance to put it wide. Never really got going and suffered the disappointment of being hooked at half-time.
Federico Bernardeschi (LW) - 4/10 - Not on the same wavelength as some of his teammates. Unable to beat his man or even find one of his own with the pass. How long does Allegri persist with him?
4. Substitutes
Juan Cuadrado (RWB) - 7/10
Dejan Kulusevski (RW) - 6/10
Kaio Jorge (ST) - N/A