Juventus earned a vital 2-0 win against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League, which also extends the Bianconeri’s unbeaten run in head-to-heads to six matches.
Both of these behemoths have faltered in recent times, and there was more loose play than might be expected from this fixture as they battled for control of possession in the early stages.
The Cityzens had more of the ball, but Kenan Yildiz hit the game’s first shot in the 20th minute and came agonisingly close to picking out the bottom corner from range, before sliding through a pass that Dusan Vlahovic couldn’t control.
The visitors were finally able to create chances for Haaland after the 37th minute, although Manuel Locatelli blocked his shot after a fortuitous break and the opening from Kevin De Bruyne’s sublime pass was rapidly closed by Michele Di Gregorio rushing out as the Norwegian tried to dink the ball over him.
De Bruyne was once again the one to create an opening after the restart, but Ilkay Gundogan’s attempted shot was blocked by Federico Gatti.
Moments after the centre-back saw an acrobatic save denied at the other end, Vlahovic outjumped Josko Gvardiol and got enough power on his header for it to sneak over the line despite hitting Ederson.
City responded well, but were denied an equaliser as Bernardo Silva’s shot hit Danilo, while Yıldız’s fizzed cross was awkwardly dealt with by Ederson at the other end.
De Bruyne then sent a strike of his own wide before Di Gregorio eye-catchingly denied Gundogan as City pushed the hosts back.
Juventus certainly made the most of it when they did get forward, as the American substitutes linked up with Timothy Weah crossing for Weston McKennie to emphatically volley home and double their advantage.
The Cityzens’ frustrations were encapsulated by Silva barging Gatti, as Juventus stood strong to see out their first victory in five matches across all competitions, which moves them up to 13th place in the UCL standings and just two points behind the top eight.
In contrast, City have just one win from their last 10 competitive matches and sit 22nd – just one point above 25th-placed Paris Saint-Germain.
