The San Siro was at fever-pitch for a blockbuster meeting of its top two sides at present, with a daunting atmosphere awaiting the Juve players. They were far from overawed though, as despite Inter’s dominance of possession in the early stages, the Nerazzurri were finding precious little joy in the final third.
The visitors’ biggest scare of the opening half-hour came as a result of a gorgeous defence-splitting pass from Hakan Calhanoglu which found Federico Dimarco, but after he’d squared the ball to find Marcus Thuram, Gleison Bremer produced a vital challenge to deny the Frenchman a tap-in.
Massimiliano Allegri’s men spent the large majority of the opening period stuck in their own half, but on a rare foray forward, Weston McKennie did brilliantly to fashion an opening for Dusan Vlahovic.
A dreadful first touch denied him the chance to shoot with the goal gaping though, and his wastefulness would be punished before the break when Benjamin Pavard’s failure to connect with a bicycle kick from Nicolo Barella’s cross caused havoc in the six-yard box. Amidst the confusion, Gatti inadvertently chested into his own net as Thuram closed in.
Having edged ahead in bizarre circumstances before the break, Inter looked to build on their slender advantage as the game opened up. Dimarco dragged an effort wide from the edge of the area, while Calhanoglu volleyed against the outside of the post.
To their credit, the Bianconeri offered much more threat following the interval, with Gatti coming close to atoning for putting through his own net with a venomous drive that whistled past the post.
As the game entered its final quarter, Juventus were indebted to Wojciech Szczesny for staying in the contest, after he produced a phenomenal save to deny Barella’s blistering volley before thwarting Marko Arnautovic from close range.
Opportunities at the other end dried up though, and Inter kept up their incredible record of not conceding a goal beyond the 76th minute in SA this season.
A sixth successive home league win - and the fifth within that run to produce a clean sheet - well and truly places Simone Inzaghi’s men into pole position for the Scudetto.
Experiencing the wrong end of an evening themed on contrasting emotions, Juve’s 19-match unbeaten streak comes to an end - and as Inter still possess a game in hand, Allegri’s men will have to be near-impeccable in the run-in if they’re to reclaim their place on the Italian throne they once held with an iron grip.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter Milan)
