Old Lady re-Juvenated after dominant victory over brittle Bologna

Massimiliano Allegri relieved some of the pressure on his position as Juventus head coach as the Old Lady ended a five-game winless run - their worst spell of form for more than three years - by beating Bologna 3-0. 

The former AC Milan boss named six changes from the humiliating loss at Monza before the international break, but it was clear his charges were lacking a bit of impetus in the opening stages at a far-from-full Allianz Stadium. However, midway through the first period, Filip Kostić put the hosts in front. Arkadiusz Milik produced a perfectly timed sliding tackle on Nicola Sansone inside the home side’s half, with Dušan Vlahović latching onto the loose ball, carrying it forward and unselfishly feeding compatriot Kostić to his left, and the summer signing from Eintracht Frankfurt set himself and impressively fired in low from a tight angle for his first Juve goal.

The Rossoblù were really struggling to get this season’s Serie A top scorer Marko Arnautović into proceedings and only hit the target once in the whole contest. Just after the interval, Milik will feel he should have tested Skorupski when the Marseille loanee curled over, while Danilo’s header from Manuel Locatelli’s free-kick also went close. Just when you wondered whether Allegri’s men would start to get a bit nervous, a swift breakaway resulted in Weston McKennie lofting a lovely ball to the far post for Vlahović, whose downward header bounced up and past Skorupski to end a run of four games without a goal for the 22-year-old.

Just after the hour, it was 3-0, and the pick of the bunch. Leandro Paredes’ corner was cleared, but only as far as fellow substitute Juan Cuadrado, whose header back in the direction of goal wasn’t cleared, and Milik punished the poor defending, thundering a strike into the roof of the net from just inside the box.

Thiago Motta remains in search of his first win after two defeats in charge of the 17th-placed outfit, who face bottom side Sampdoria next Saturday. Juve meanwhile are up two places to seventh and next play the Rossoneri in Serie A at San Siro following their must-win Champions League clash with Maccabi Haifa on Wednesday.

Highlights Juventus vs Bologna