Juventus 4-3 Napoli: 4 players who impressed for the Bianconeri | Serie A 2019/2020

Juventus and Napoli clashed at the Juventus stadium in what was a highly anticipated match, with the home side squeezing out a 4-3 victory in a Serie A encounter.

Juventus are eight-time consecutive Serie A defending champions, and with Napoli having finished as runners-up in each of the last two seasons, the Pertenopei were once again expected to mount the closest challenge to the Turin giants.

As such, the fixture was billed as a top of the table clash, with fireworks expected, and the match did not disappoint, with both teams going all out for the victory in what was an absolutely thrilling end-to-end match.

The home side had raced into a 3-0 lead by the 62nd minute, and even the staunchest Napoli fan would have thought the game over, but the away side had other plans, as they clawed back to equalize and set up a grandstand finish.

Just when the game seemed set to finish in a stalemate, an own goal by the normally dependable Kalidou Koulibaly right at the death handed Juventus the victory.

Despite winning the game by the narrowest of margins, Juventus would be delighted to have pocketed all three points, and in this piece, we shall be identifying four players who were crucial to the Bianconeri's victory against Napoli.

---

#4 Gonzalo Higuain

Higuain netted against his former side

Gonzalo Higuain joined Juventus as a record signing when he was signed up from Napoli for a sum of €90m in the summer of 2016. The 31-year-old had starred for four seasons in Naples, but endured mixed fortunes in his Juventus career, undergoing two underwhelming loan spells to AC Milan and Chelsea.

With neither club interested in making his move permanent, the Argentine returned to Turin, but even his future at Juventus was in doubt, as they were pursuing other options.

Despite the uncertainty of his position, the ex-Argentine international has gone about his duty with minimum fuss, and was handed a start from the onset against his former side.

16 minutes into the fixture, Higuain received a brilliant cut-back from Blaise Matuidi, and showed great composure and technique to control the pass excellently, before rifling into the roof of the net with an unstoppable shot past Alex Meret.

#3 Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo opened his Serie A account against Napoli

Juventus' marquee player Cristiano Ronaldo had a relatively quiet first half, and was on the periphery of the match, but had his moment in the 62nd minute.

On matchday one, the Portuguese international thought he had opened his account in the game against Parma, but saw his effort ruled out for a marginal offside after consultation with VAR.

He was however not to be denied against Napoli, as he placed a Douglas Costa square ball with a left footed finish to send Juventus into a comfortable 3-0 lead.

There was no traditional celebration, however, with Ronaldo rather making a screen gesture with his hand in mock reference to his VAR canceled goal last week.

Ronaldo finished third in the scorers' charts in the Serie A Golden Boot race last season and would be eager to go one better, and having gotten off the mark against Napoli, the 34-year-old would seek to build more momentum.

#2 Blaise Matuidi

Matuidi was tireless in midfield

Against Napoli, Juventus were totally dominant in the first half, as they kept their visitors on the backfoot and imposed their will on the game.

Much of their dominance was down to the performance of Blaise Matuidi, as the French international was absolutely unplayable through the middle of the field.

The 32-year-old has made a name for himself over the years as one of the most efficient box-to-box midfielders, and he was at his tireless best against Napoli, dominating Piotr Zielinski and Allan in midfield, while also acting as an effective link-up man between the defense and attack.

A yellow card in the 52nd minute saw him reduce his tenacity a little in order not to get sent of, and this was partly one of the reasons why Napoli saw an improvement in their midfield application.

Despite the arrival of a number of new signings, Matuidi would once again play a crucial role for Juventus and he underlined this with another emphatic display against Napoli.

#1 Douglas Costa

Douglas Costa had two assists to his name

Douglas Costa was hands down the best player on the field, with the Brazilian international proving a constant menace down the flanks for the home side, taking turns to torment both Faouzi Ghoulam and Giovanni Di Lorenzo as he alternated wings at will.

It was his speed down the left flank that was crucial to Juventus getting the opener, as he cut Di Lorenzo inside out before squaring for new recruit Danilo that helped the latter open his Bianconeri account.

He continued to be the most potent of Juventus' attacking unit, and got another assist 63 minutes into the game in what was a brilliantly worked team goal.

Alex Sandro found Blaise Matuidi, with the World Cup winner releasing Douglas Costa who in turn cut-back for Cristiano Ronaldo to put Juventus 3-0 up.

Few minutes later, he almost got a deserved goal when he hit the post off the palm of Meret with a cleanly struck shot in the 72nd minute. Overall, Costa created a whole lot of opportunities and was a real threat on the turf for the opposition.