Juventus 1-0 AS Roma: Rabiot goal downs Roma as Juve end 2023 two points off top spot

Juventus, who were in second place, had the opportunity to narrow the gap with Inter Milan in the contest, following Inter's draw with Genoa on Friday. However, Roma showed no concern for Juventus' title aspirations and came close to scoring in the opening minutes when Bryan Cristante hit the woodwork.

The match quickly turned into a cautious affair, reflecting the pragmatic approach of both coaches, Massimiliano Allegri and Jose Mourinho. Mourinho would have been relieved to see Evan Ndicka clear Filip Kostic's powerful strike off the line towards the end of the first half.

Continuing a trend from their previous home league games, Juventus opened the scoring for the 15th time this season after a drawn first half. Dusan Vlahovic displayed excellent center-forward play by flicking the ball into the path of Adrien Rabiot, who calmly slotted it past Rui Patrício at the near post.

With a record of only two draws in their previous 14 league matches where they scored first, Juventus have developed a habit of protecting their leads.

Juventus' determined defense forced Roma to attempt speculative shots, with former Juventus player Paulo Dybala testing Wojciech Szczesny with a routine save.

As Roma pushed forward in search of an equalizer, the home team tried to exploit the space behind their defense. However, Weston McKennie missed a great opportunity to extend his team's lead.

Federico Chiesa believed he had scored Juventus' second goal of the evening from a close range, but his late effort was disallowed due to an offside infringement.

In the end, Juventus didn't need a second goal to secure the victory. They successfully defended their lead for the rest of the match, handing Roma their second consecutive away defeat.