MILAN — A Timothy Weah assist to Manuel Locatelli secured a 1-0 win for Juventus at AC Milan in Serie A on Sunday. Locatelli's second-half strike came after the hosts were reduced to 10 men in the first half when defender Malick Thiaw received a direct red card.
Weah assist vs Milan
Manuel L̵o̵c̵a̵t̵e̵l̵l̵i̵ Luckatelli!
Tim Weah sets up the 25-year-old midfielder who haunts his old team Milan. pic.twitter.com/ThgPHpukYP— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 22, 2023
A relatively slow-paced match took a surprising turn five minutes before the break when Thiaw received his marching orders for a last-man foul on Moise Kean.
Malick Thiaw is sent off for denying a goal scoring opportunity. pic.twitter.com/ONzOl0zVNM
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 22, 2023
Stefano Pioli is forced to take Christian Pulisic off the pitch after Malik Thiaw's red card.
The #USMNT star day is done after 43 minutes. pic.twitter.com/cddZdxg56U— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 22, 2023
With the numerical advantage, Juve took charge and Locatelli scored in the 63rd minute with a deflected long-range shot off Rade Krunic, catching Milan keeper Antonio Mirante off guard.
Juve are now third in the table with 20 points, with Milan second on 21, one point behind leaders Inter Milan after the ninth round.
Milan needed to win to reclaim the Serie A summit after Inter's 3-0 victory against Torino on Saturday. However, they were without several key players, including their first-choice keeper, Mike Maignan, and defender Theo Hernandez, both of whom were suspended for the match.
The first opportunity went to Milan and Olivier Giroud, but he was denied by a reaction save from Juve keeper Wojciech Szczesny after firing a low shot towards the post from a short distance.
Wojciech Szczęsny denies Oliver Giroud a huge chance to score! pic.twitter.com/opHMMyi7II
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 22, 2023
Shortly after Thiaw's red card, Moise Kean had an opportunity to give Juve the lead with a tap-in at the post, but he pushed it wide.
Thiaw's red card was the first such incident during the first half of a Serie A match between Juve and Milan in more than 25 years, dating back to Milan midfielder Zvonimir Boban.
Despite letting in the goal, Mirante showed his class in the final moments of the match, first denying Dusan Vlahovic and then making a remarkable double save during stoppage time.
A huge double save from 40-year-old Antonio Mirante! pic.twitter.com/x9t6XJDzjn
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 22, 2023
Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri was visibly frustrated towards the end of the match, appearing unhappy with his players. The 56-year-old removed his jacket and tie and stormed off the pitch, which resulted in him receiving a yellow card.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; editing by Clare Fallon)
