Juventus 1 Napoli 0: Top of table contest leaves Serie A with familiar look

Juan Cuadrado and Patrice Evra played their parts in Juventus ending Napoli's run and moving top of the Italian league

Juventus celebrate their win over Napoli (GETTY IMAGES)

The stakes could not have been higher in Serie A this past weekend, the division’s top two teams putting their club record winning streaks on the line as they went head to head in Turin. Napoli travelled to Juventus Stadium holding a two-point advantage over the reigning champions, looking to extend that advantage in a quest to end a 26-year wait for the title.

To do so they had notched eight consecutive victories, and the impact coach Maurizio Sarri has had on the side cannot be underestimated. Taking over in the summer from Rafael Benitez, the former Empoli boss – who had just one year of top flight experience – worked tirelessly to improve a defence which shipped a staggering 73 goals in all competitions last term.

He used a drone to monitor the movements of his players in training, the images it provided helping to fine tune their positioning and with little real investment in the squad he forged them into an impressive unit. As they headed north for their date with the Bianconeri, Napoli boasted the second-meanest backline on the peninsula, having conceded just 19 times in 24 matches and with Pepe Reina collecting nine clean sheets.

Sarri had also unleashed a potent attacking force, led by Gonzalo Higuain who had netted 24 times in as many appearances. Jose Callejon and Lorenzo Insigne provide support from the wing, with only the Barcelona trident of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar having been more prolific across Europe’s top five leagues so far this term.

That meant the Partenopei were able to provide a sustained challenge to the success enjoyed by Juventus over the past four seasons, lifting the title in each of those campaigns with perhaps only Milan – who finished just four points behind them back in 2011/12 – threatening to overhaul them. The last two years had seen them waltz to the Scudetto by an incredible margin of 17 points, and they were still favourites to do so again this time around despite the dramatic changes made to the squad back in the summer.

Losing Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Carlos Tevez undoubtedly took its toll, and the struggles of Max Allegri’s side have been well-documented, needing to reel off fourteen consecutive wins in order to return to contention. That had given the side an incredible sense of self-belief, but as the match got under way on Saturday it was Napoli who took control, dominating possession and looking to land a killer blow.

With Giorgio Chiellini absent through injury, Juventus had reverted to what was ostensibly a four-man defence, but the visitors looked to have finally created an opening just before half time when Elseid Hysaj finally found himself in space on the right. The full-back whipped in a cross towards Higuain, and a sense of foreboding descended upon the stadium as if everyone in attendance fully expected the striker to find the net once again.

Yet in the split second before he could plant a header beyond Gigi Buffon, Leonardo Bonucci stretched out a leg and somehow managed to flick the ball away from the in-form Argentinian. Defender and goalkeeper exchanged a chest-bump to celebrate the narrow escape, Higuain clutching his head in his hands in sheer disbelief at the manner in which he had been denied an almost certain goal.

The game continued apace, as both sides traded chances before Juve’s strength in depth ultimately proved telling. While Sarri tinkered with his line-up, Allegri changed the shape of his side once again, putting on Alex Sandro in place of Paulo Dybala and – with Juan Cuadrado on the opposite flank – used their pace to stretch the game. With time running out, Sami Khedira played a smart ball out to the Brazilian, his header falling to Patrice Evra who in turn picked out Simone Zaza.

He took a touch to escape the attention of Kalidou Koulibaly and fired a shot towards goal that took a deflection off defender Raul Albiol, leaving Reina stranded and Napoli completely deflated. More than 250 days had passed since the Bianconeri were at the top of the Serie A table and, while their route back has been somewhat surprising, there is a distinct feeling of inevitability about seeing them back in first place.

The game was not the only one with late drama this weekend, Fiorentina snatching all three points from Inter deep into injury time, a result that puts the Viola in control of the final Champions League berth. It also deepens the problems for Roberto Mancini’s men who have taken just nine points from their last nine matches and slumped down the standings, announcing a media blackout at the final whistle.

They were overtaken by AS Roma who won away at Carpi on Friday night, slowly recapturing their own form after replacing Coach Rudi Garcia with Luciano Spalletti, while Milan are now just two points behind their city cousins in sixth place thanks to a seven match unbeaten run.

Bonucci’s dramatic intervention may not have ultimately decided the match at Juventus Stadium, but if the Bianconeri end the campaign on top for a fifth consecutive season, it will serve as the perfect metaphor for the way Max Allegri’s side snuffed out the hopes of their rivals.