Winners
AC Milan
A trip to Sampdoria can often be a tricky test but this was even tougher than normal for the surprise leaders.
They kicked-off with a number of key players missing and after most of their rivals had won over the weekend.
Had Gianluigi Donnarumma not somehow punched an early Lorenzo Tonelli header over the bar, Sunday night may have been an even tougher test.
Instead, they showed real character to restore their five-point lead at the Serie A summit.
Once Franck Kessie had scored a penalty in first-half injury time, Milan had set their record streak of scoring in 30 consecutive Serie A matches.
A shot from substitute Samu Castillejo, with his first touch, proved to be the matchwinner.
Sampdoria
The result may not have gone the way the hosts hoped but the special edition shirt was a proud touch and a fitting way to mark 120 years since local club Andrea Doria was founded.
Sampdoria has only officially existed since August 1946 but its origins go way back. That’s because two different local clubs were merged together to create them, namely Andrea Doria and Sampierdarenese.
The Andrea Doria jersey is split into two halves, dark blue and white, with the cross representing the city of Genoa on the chest.
Andrea Pirlo
The champions are not playing well and there’s no doubt coach Pirlo’s celebration, sparked by Leonard Bonucci’s last-minute winner, was as much down to relief as it was derby joy.
Yet Juventus won the Derby della Mole again to climb briefly up to second in Serie A, a result which shows that, even when stuttering, can never be ruled out.
The ‘old lady’ of Turin is, of course, not the only club stuttering under a new coach.
For Torino, with Marco Giampaolo at the helm, has now scraped just six points from 10 rounds, its worst-ever start in the three points for a win era.
Torino has also won just one of its last 28 Serie A games against Juventus, 2-1 in April 2015, interrupting six draws and 21 defeats.
Losers
Christian Eriksen
It’s been a mystery for much of 2021 that a player who has proved to be one of the best midfielders in Europe for nearly a decade can be surplus to requirements at a club which has failed to win a trophy for nine years.
His signing in the January transfer window at the start of the year was seen as a real coup and a deal which could spur Inter onto greater things.
For whatever reason, manager Antonio Conte has not been able to fit the Danish maestro effectively into his plans – he made an injury-time substitute appearance in the weekend success against Bologna – and director Beppe Marotta has now confirmed he is likely to leave next month, even if the transfer fee is a bargain.
A loss for both player and club but, one suspects, particularly the club.
Atalanta
It is hardly fair to call Atalanta a loser for the club is anything but.
It’s less than 10 days since the team sealed a famous 2-0 win at Liverpool in the Champions League, just the latest milestone during a couple of terrific years where it has been a class act on and off the pitch under coach Gian Piero Gasperini.
The fact the weekend clash with Udinese was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch, however, may not help them in the long-term.
When referee Federico La Penna decided to postpone the match after three different pitch inspections – there were huge puddles all over the pitch of the Dacia Arena – Atalanta’s small squad was presented with a further headache it could do without in an already congested season.
Jacopo Segre
Jacopo Segre’s cameo appearance in the final minutes of Torino’s defeat would normally barely warrant a mention.
Yet it was the actions of the Torino youngster after the full-time whistle which drew attention.
Grabbing hold of the shirt of Juve’s Paulo Dybala shirt after the defeat in the Derby della Mole is not a crime.
Posing for a photo with it – even if he did not share it on social media himself – was insensitive for fans of his team, especially considering its position in the table and a late defeat against its arch-rivals.
“I made the mistake of taking a picture with the shirt of Dybala, a simple gift for an Argentine fan,” he wrote
A nice gesture, but the 23-year-old should have been more careful.
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