AC Milan vs. Juventus: Winners and Losers from Serie A
Juventus continued their Serie A dominance on Saturday with a 2-1 win at the San Siro over AC Milan.
The Bianconeri temporarily moved nine points clear of Napoli in the title race with their 24th league win of the campaign.
Mario Mandzukic and Paul Pogba scored a goal each at the San Siro, while Gianluigi Buffon produced plenty of world-class saves in goal for the visitors.
The home side started strong through Mario Balotelli, but the Rossoneri ran out of gas as the second half progressed.
Here's a look at our winners and losers from Juve's win over Milan.
Winner: Gianluigi Buffon
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Gianluigi Buffon produced a few world-class saves that allowed Juventus to leave the San Siro with their 12th road victory of the league season.
The Italian legend started his day with a terrific denial at the left post on a Mario Balotelli free-kick in the 14th minute.
In the 51st minute, Buffon came up with two spectacular saves on Carlos Bacca and Balotelli. The sequence early in the second half took all the air out of the AC Milan attack.
Thanks to the efforts of Buffon in between the pipes, Juventus temporarily moved nine points ahead of Napoli in the Serie A title race.
Loser: Carlos Bacca
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Based off the AC Milan forwards' form entering Saturday, most people thought Carlos Bacca would outshine Balotelli in the final third.
However, the opposite happened as the Colombian disappeared from the contest for long stretches, while Balotelli remained a constant force moving forward.
In 90 minutes of play, the 29-year-old recorded 20 touches, per WhoScored.com and only unleashed one shot on target in a crucial match for Milan.
The loss kept Milan seven points adrift of Fiorentina in the race for the final European place.
Winner: Paul Pogba
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Five minutes after he struck the left post with a free-kick, Paul Pogba delivered an individual moment of brilliance to put Juve ahead for good at the San Siro.
Pogba pulled down a Claudio Marchisio corner on the right side of the box with his chest and proceeded to bounce a shot over Gianluigi Donnarumma's head.
The strike was the third in four matches across all competitions for the 23-year-old Frenchman, who is heating up at the perfect time for club and country.
Loser: Giacomo Bonaventura
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Much like Bacca, Giacomo Bonaventura failed to make a consistent impact on the Milan attack despite a successful season.
The Juventus back four shut down the 26-year-old as he made 37 touches and failed to attempt a single shot, per WhoScored.com.
The lack of production from both Bacca and Bonaventura in a key match is a bad sign for Milan as they attempt to hunt down fifth place.
Due to the rough outing at the San Siro from some of their top attackers, the Rossoneri are set to miss out on European competition at the moment.
Winner: Mario Balotelli
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Mario Balotelli impressed in a rare start for AC Milan on Saturday.
Although he didn't find the back of the net himself, the troubled forward recorded an assist on the opening strike of the contest, when his corner kick found Alex's head.
A few minutes before the 18th-minute opener, Balotelli sent a perfectly struck free-kick in the goal's direction, but Buffon met the ball at the left post.
Understandably, Balotteli did not have enough gas in the tank to go 90 minutes, but he displayed plenty of positive things throughout his time on the pitch that could lead to more playing time in the near future.
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