AC Milan vs. Juventus: 5 Things We Learned From The Serie A Clash

It was the home side's night in Turin.

Juventus, so impressive in the early season, led in possession and shots on goal throughout the match, but it wasn't until a last-stretch brace from Claudio Marchisio that they managed to pull away with a vital 2-0 victory over AC Milan.

Juve's offense, led by a determined Mirko Vučinić, a new addition to the Old Lady this season, fired when needed and sent a determined message to the rest of Serie A. This team is ready to win now.

Here are five things we learned from this weekend's headlining Serie A clash, which puts the Bianconeri at the top of Serie A. If you have some more lessons you'd like to share, tell us in the comments. 

1. Christian Abbiati Is Still a Pretty Great Goalkeeper

Juventus may have one of the game's all-time greats between the sticks in Gianluigi Buffon, but with Italy's No. 1 enjoying a fairly easy night, it was the away side's keeper that earned the match-day plaudits. 

He may not have been able to stop Marchisio's offensive onslaught in the final minutes of the match, but up until that point, Christian Abbiati had a fantastic game.

And the Juve attack really made him work. At 34, Abbiati has been with Milan on and off for more than a decade.

He was one of the persistent and consistent men on the pitch tonight, especially in the first half, when he made a series of crucial saves in the face of Vučinić's concerted offensive.

If he can keep himself from making those costly errors like the one that gave Antonio Di Natale an easy goal in the Rossoneri's 1-1 draw with Udinese late last month and gifted Marchisio his second goal Sunday, AC Milan's defense will be tough to beat.

2. Mirko Vučinić Will Be the Source of Juve's Mojo This Season

Although he has yet to follow up on his first goal for the Bianconeri in their draw with Bologna late last month, summer arrival Mirko Vučinić came dangerously close many times in tonight's match.

Powerful, visionary and clever on his feet, it was Vučinić that shone through the majority of what looked like a 0-0 draw until Marchisio's saving effort.

If he can deliver on his efforts and make those killer strikes find the net like he once did while on the books at AS Roma, he'll be the driving force behind a string of Juventus victories throughout the rest of the Serie A season.

3. Antonio Cassano Can Be Great Again

The former bad boy of Italian football looked especially strong at the start of the match at Juventus's glimmering new Stadium, showing speed and vision in a series of sound attempts. But he was unable to get one past Gianluigi Buffon and remained scoreless on the night. 

The Jewel of Bari proved he can still be a high-impact player in Milan's victory over Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League, stepping in for Alexandre Pato and Robinho, who are both out injured.

But with injuries plaguing the Rossoneri and the rest of the starting striker rotation still out, Milan's attacking force is faced with some pretty big deficits to make up. And with Zlatan Ibrahimovic looking rather underwhelming after the performance against Juventus, Cassano may be the guy who leads Milan's attack. 

4. Serie A's Veterans Have Still Got It

Playmaker Andrea Pirlo gave a cracking performance against his old club in the Serie A clash, making some great attempts and contributing to the architecture of Juve's attack.

Elsewhere, both veteran keepers, Gianluigi Buffon and Christian Abbiati both were in great form, with Buffon keeping a clean sheet and only a few moments of weakness in the final minutes of the match besmirching an otherwise stellar performance for Abbiati.

Milan defender Alessandro Nesta, too, opted not to retire at the end of last season and still performs with power and persistence. 

5. Newcomers Will Keep Juventus at the Top of Serie A

We've already started to cover this several slides back, as Mirko Vučinić has impressed since his arrival at Juventus and proved to be the creative force behind the Bianconeri attack in this weekend's match.

Chilean international Arturo Vidal, another recent arrival to Juve, brought energy to the midfield, linked up well with Vučinić and had a few serious attempts on goal. If the newcomers, along with a still-to-be-tested striker Fabio Quagliarella, can continue to assert themselves alongside the established headliners, Juve will remain the team to beat.

Eljero Elia, brought in from Hamburg this past summer, has yet to find his place in the squad on the wing, but when he does, the Dutch international is expected to be a great contributor to Antonio Conte's side. He's as dynamic in attack as Milos Krasic, the incumbent right winger, and is perhaps even more skilled than the polished Serbian.

It's been too long (going on two seasons now) since La Vecchia Signora graced the Champions League. The competition feels somewhat lessened without a long-time contributor of the Turin club's stature.

Yet with the way Juventus have started 2011-12, that streak may soon be at an end.