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Goals in each half from Arturo Vidal and Nicolo Barella helped Inter Milan to a convincing 2-0 victory over Juventus at the San Siro in the 2020-21 Serie A, which was also the 238th edition of the biggest game in Italy.
Antonio Conte made one change to his Inter Milan side that drew 2-2 with AS Roma last weekend, with Ashley Young replacing Matteo Darmian at left-wing-back, while Andrea Pirlo made three changes to his team.
Giorgio Chiellini, Weston McKennie and Arthur all came into the Juventus starting lineup in place of Merih Demiral, Aaron Ramsey and Adrian Rabiot.
It took just 10 minutes for the first goalmouth action in the game, as Cristiano Ronaldo prodded home into the net, but the goal was rightly ruled out for Federico Chiesa's offside in the build-up.
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Inter Milan took the lead just a minute later when former Juventus star Arturo Vidal rose highest to head home a cross by Barella. Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez then both missed presentable chance, as the hosts totally dominated proceedings in the early exchanges.
A bright start to the second half saw Inter Milan double their advantage, when Nicolo Barella got on the scoresheet with a simple finish. A long ball was punted upfield by Alessandro Bastoni which evaded everyone and allowed Barella to calmly slot past Wojciech Szczesny in the Juventus goal.
There were more good chances for Inter Milan which they squandered before Federico Chiesa forced Samir Handanovic into a fine save in the 87th minute. That was Juventus' best moment of the game, but their late surge failed to reap any dividends as they endured their second league reverse of the season.
The win helps Inter Milan move level on points with city rivals AC Milan, who have a game in hand against Cagliari.
On that note, let us have a look at five talking points from the fixture.
#5 Antonio Conte registers his first win over Juventus in five attempts
Antonio Conte helped Juventus lay the groundwork for their unprecedented dominance, winning the Serie A title in each of his three seasons with the club.
Prior to this game, he had failed to beat Juventus in any of his four previous meetings a manager, losing all four clashes. However, it was a case of fifth-time lucky for the former Italy manager, and considering how important this victory is, it was well worth the wait.
It was also a first win for Inter Milan against Juventus since 2016, with the team enduring two draws and five defeats against the reigning champions in this period.
.#4 Inter Milan breathe new life into their title challenge
Inter Milan came into this clash on the back of a disappointing 2-2 draw with AS Roma, a game they led till the dying stages. Before that game, they had lost 2-1 away at Sampdoria, squandering an opportunity to go top of the league table.
A key issue for Inter Milan this season has been their soft underbelly in defence, and that has cost them points in several games in the current league campaign.
However, against Juventus, Inter Milan managed to eliminate errors and late losses in concentration that have plagued them for most of the season. A professional defensive display against the reigning champions has taken Inter Milan joint top of the Serie A table.
#3 Blunt Juventus face a huge fight to make it ten in a row
A win for Juventus would have taken them one point behind Inter Milan (with a game in hand),while also reducing their deficit to AC Milan.
The nine-time defending champions have been plagued by inconsistency for most of the season. But their convincing 3-1 win against Milan at the San Siro two weeks ago appeared to be a marker of Juventus regaining their mojo.
However, the Turin giants have stumbled once again and were totally out of sorts at Inter Milan.
Juventus could now find themselves ten points adrift of AC Milan at the end of the gameweek. With almost half of the season gone, they now face an uphill task to retain their Serie A title for the tenth season running.
Up next for the Bianconerri is the final of the Super Coppa Italia with Napoli on Wednesday before they return to Serie A action with the visit of Bologna.
#2 Impressive Nicolo Barella continues his upward trajectory with another fine performance
Nicolo Barella has been one of the most utilised players under Antonio Conte, and he proved to be the match-winner for Inter Milan with a goal and an assist against Juventus.
The 23-year-old joined Inter Milan on loan from Cagliari last season before the move was made permanent at the start of the current campaign. And Barella has justified his manager's faith with a series of fine displays.
After providing the assist for Vidal's opener, the Italy international showed great composure to put his side 2-0 up with his second goal of the ongoing league campaign.
The former Como man also starred with three key passes, one clearance,and three dribbles while he also completed 91.1% of his attempted 56 passes in a Man-of-the-Match display.
#1 Arturo Vidal causes controversy with over-the-top pre-game greetings
Arturo Vidal spent four years of his career with Juventus and arguably played the best football of his career in Turin.
Alongside Andrea Pirlo, Paul Pogba and Claudio Marchisio, the Chile international formed what was one of the best midfield combinations in Europe at the time. Teh quartet helped lay the foundation for Juventus' current success, but Vidal has since moved on to represent Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
However, the 33-year-old still has fond memories of his time with Juventus, something that was evidenced by his excessive pre-match greetings.
The former Barcelona man hugged his former teammates Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Pirlo before appearing to kiss the Juventus badge.
He also failed to celebrate his goal against his former side - which is customary in football. For a player who has courted controversy and divided public opinion for most of his career, Arturo Vidal got the job done on the field.
