Miretti opens Juventus account in tight win over rivals Fiorentina
Desperate for a return to the glory days, the Old Lady took to the field against their bitter rivals knowing that a victory would reduce the gap on Serie A leaders Inter Milan.
Maybe that fuelled the visitors' goalscoring desires, as after soaking up Fiorentina pressure in the opening minutes, Fabio Miretti rounded off a delightful move after Filip Kostic had burned past his marker.
The tempo eventually settled as Fiorentina started to get their foot on the ball. They were frustrated by a solid Juventus backline which had kept five-consecutive clean sheets however, with the visitors content to deal with the floods of purple shirts before releasing the ball to Moise Kean and the menacing Kostic.
To their credit, the vivacious home faithful weren’t deterred by several first-half stoppages, and they would have been rewarded if it wasn't for a fine Wojciech Szczesny save from Cristiano Biraghi’s free-kick.
Having already suffered back-to-back Serie A defeats for the first time since February and facing visitors to whom they’ve lost to more than any other side, few would have blamed Fiorentina for lacking belief.
And it appeared that Fiorentina’s night might have gone from bad to worse when ex-Viola player Federico Chiesa turned and let fire from 12 yards, but keeper Pietro Terracciano was equal to the Juventus man’s effort.
Even though the majority of the second saw the ball at the feet of Fiorentina attackers they struggled to create any opportunities of note as a formidable-looking Old Lady backline stood firm.
M'Bala Nzola’s headed effort that cleared the bar in the closing minutes was about as close as the hosts would come on a difficult night against Allegri’s charges, who were relentless in their physical approach.
The Italian manager will be delighted with the victory, with his side now just two points off the Serie A summit.
Particularly as this was a defensive masterclass to roll back the years for the illustrious Turin-based club, and if they continue to excel in defence many will back them challenging for the Scudetto this season.
Flashcore Man of the Match: Gleison Bremer (Juventus)
