In brief…
Decent game to watch, with both sides eager and hungry. Chiesa seemed the star of the show till hooked off, and yet despite the concerns over the odd substitutions, Pirlo emerged a lucky coach and secured the much needed victory.
Must be said that Tek was by far the busier keeper in both halves. And this was a quite severely weakened AC. Nonetheless, we needed victory and our performance merited the 3 points.
MORE TO FOLLOW
Quick fire ratings…
Tek – Much more involved than his opposite number. Probably his best game of the season with a string of solid saves as the home side repeatedly got into useful positions. 7.5
Bonucci – Steady, no hideous errors, marshalled the back line fairly comfortably despite the still unbalanced midfield. 6.5
De Ligt -Growing back towards his finest. 7
Frabrotta – Superb experience for the youngster. Average performance. 6.5
Danilo – Picked up a yellow for a top drawer intervention. Impressive throughout 7.5
Bentancur – Whether the issue is tactical, physical or mental, he needs a break from the side. Poor from the start and fortunate not to be sent off. 5
Rabiot – Shoved off the ball perhaps unfairly to concede the move which flowed for their goal, other than which was too absent for my liking. At times, I forgot he was on the field. 5.5
Ramsey – Huffed, puffed and his chances fell mainly on the left foot. 6
Chiesa – Final third specialist does the damage in the final third! Needs to be played higher than the wingback hybrid routine, less defensive duty, then he could truly blossom in this side. Took his goals brilliantly. 8
Dybala – Two assists and another encouraging showing from La Joya, who may well be working his way back to form. 7
Ronaldo -Quiet, rarely involved. 6
Mckennie – Gave energy and his usual runs into the box, which led to a well taken third after a fine save from Donnarumma denied him earlier. Great impact 7
Kulu – As with the american, the giant Swede proved a trump card. Powerful running and a deft touch set up the goal to seal the victory, and he was a constant threat.7
…….forza juve