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Juventus picked up a huge win in their bid for the 2020-21 Serie A title, producing an impressive comeback in Turin to defeat Lazio 3-1. The result leaves Juventus third in the table, seven points behind leaders Inter Milan, while Lazio remain seventh, six points adrift of fourth-placed Atalanta.
Lazio opened the scoring in the 14th minute when they profited from Dejan Kulusevski giving the ball away. Joaquin Correa pounced and drove into the box, turning Merih Demiral inside out before hammering a low drive past Wojciech Szczesny.
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A couple of controversial decisions took place as the game progressed before Adrien Rabiot equalised for Juventus in the 39th minute against the run of play. The Frenchman ran onto Morata's pass in the box before unleashing a howitzer into the gap at Pepe Reina's near post from a narrow angle.
The game turned in the space of three minutes on the hour mark, as Alvaro Morata put Juventus into the lead after an excellent counter-attack. The Spanish striker followed that up with a well-taken penalty after Sergej Milinkovic-Savic clumsily tripped Aaron Ramsey in the box.
Juventus held on to their lead despite Lazio coming close a couple of times to reducing the arrears on the night.
On that note, here are the major talking points from the game:
#1 VAR takes centre-stage yet again
As is the norm in football these days, both sides could claim to have been wronged by VAR during some potentially game-defining moments.
The IFAB have updated the rules of handball which are to come into effect this July. But it's anyone's guess how referees interpret those rules.
Juventus were denied what looked like a stonewall penalty as the ball ricocheted onto Wesley Hoedt's extended arm with Federico Chiesa lurking.
One can only assume proximity was the reason the penalty was denied. But the ball wasn't coming through at great speed anyway. Let's hope Marco di Bello, the VAR referee for this game, is allowed to explain his decision since it was unclear why the handball was denied.
A few minutes later, it was Lazio's turn to feel aggrieved, as Alex Sandro's rash elbow caught Joaquin Correa, but there was nothing forthcoming from VAR. There definitely was a case for a red card to be issued in this case.
#2 Alvaro Morata steps up for Juventus
Alvaro Morata has looked a man reborn since he returned to Turin last summer, striking up an excellent understanding with his former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.
It's no surprise then that he leads the league in assists (8) this season.
The Spanish forward had some goal-scoring to do on the night, too, in Cristiano Ronaldo's absence, answering Andrea Pirlo's call with aplomb. There were no sign of illness, as Morata ran the channels and took the few chances he had extremely well.
It was an excellent night's work for the 28-year-old, who looks miles better than the struggling forward in Chelsea and Atletico Madrid colours.
#3 Andrea Pirlo's gamble on resting Cristiano Ronaldo pays off
With Juventus due to play against Porto in the UEFA Champions League next week, it was perhaps understandable why Andrea Pirlo started talisman Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench.
However, there were a fair few eyebrows raised, as the Bianconeri were playing with a makeshift defence and needed a win to keep their slim title hopes alive. For 39 minutes, it looked as though Pirlo had horribly miscalculated, as Juventus struggled to have any sort of impression on the game.
Ronaldo eventually came on with his side in a relatively comfortable position, as Pirlo was left vindicated. The 35-year-old didn't have much of an impact, as Juventus sought to protect their lead. Pirlo would hope Ronaldo is saving it all for the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League as he usually does.
#4 Simone Inzaghi gets his substitutions wrong for Lazio
Despite the scoreline implying Juventus were comfortable victors in this contest, it was hardly the truth. Lazio started the game in fabulous fashion, rarely letting Juventus to breathe as they forced their opponents into multiple errors.
Even after Adrien Rabiot scored against the run of play, Lazio continued to dominate proceedings against Juventus. A pre-planned substitution, though, went horribly wrong, as once Lucas Leiva and Senad Lulic were replaced by Gonzalo Escalante and Patric respectively in the 55th minute, the Biancocelesti lost all control in the middle of the park.
Leiva would surely have been on hand to prevent the counter-attack from which Alvaro Morata scored, and Milinkovic-Savic's tired tackle may not have been needed. For once, Simone Inzaghi has the blame laid squarely on his shoulders as he gifted this win to Juventus.
#5 Juventus are gathering momentum at the right time
The jury is still out on Andrea Pirlo in his first season in charge of Juventus. The Bianconeri have not looked remotely like the all-conquering sides of Antonio Conte, Massimiliano Allegri and even Maurizio Sarri.
The first-leg defeat to FC Porto in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 has only served to question Pirlo's credentials.
Andrea Pirlo, as always, remains unflappable, as his side have come into form despite a plethora of injuries. It's now three wins out of four since that defeat to Porto, and confidence ought to be high that Juventus can turn things around with an away goal.
However, winning the Scudetto could be far less straightforward this season. Nevertheless, this win throws down the gauntlet to Inter Milan, who face a tough task against Atalanta this weekend. If the Nerazzurri stumble, Juventus will fancy their chances to capitalise and close down the gap on the league leaders.
