Juventus 2-0 Bologna: Player ratings as Bianconeri close gap in Serie A title race

Juventus closed the gap on league leaders Milan with a 2-0 victory over Bologna on Sunday afternoon.

I Bianconeri took the lead on 15 minutes when Arthur Melo fired a long-range strike that took a huge deflection off a Bologna defender, wrong-footing Lukasz Skorupski and trickling into the net.

Juve had some great chances to extend their lead in the first half, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Federico Bernardeschi forcing a fine double save from Skorupski, while Juan Cuadrado also fired over from inside the box.

Bologna threatened the hosts and caused plenty of problems, but their hard work was undone on 71 minutes, when Weston McKennie headed home from a corner to put the game beyond the plucky visitors.

I Bianconeri saw out the final 20 minutes to claim the three points and reduce their deficit to leaders Milan to seven points.

Let's check out the player ratings from an exciting afternoon in Turin.

1. Goalkeeper & defenders

Wojciech Szczesny (GK) - 8/10 - Rarely tested in the first half, as Bologna struggled to break through Juve's strong rearguard. Spared Cuadrado's blushes with an incredible stop from point-blank range.

Juan Cuadrado (RB) - 7/10 - Tried to win a penalty early on but played for it, extending his leg into the defender's path. Naughty. Wasted a great three-on-one by skying a shot well over the bar. Almost scored an own goal but Szczesny rescued him. Did get the assist for the second.

Leonardo Bonucci (CB) - 8/10 - Helped Juve progress up the pitch with some smart and incisive passing. Solid when Bologna began to threaten.

Giorgio Chiellini (CB) - 7/10 - Typically resolute, winning all the headers available. Looked a little less secure against Bologna's rapid strikers across the ground, but covered his deficiencies well.

Danilo (LB) - 7/10 - Tasked with stopping the creative and tricky Riccardo Orsolini, and endured a couple of uncomfortable moments when one-on-one.

2. Midfielders

Weston McKennie (RM) - 9/10 - Drifted centrally when Cuadrado burst down the right. Produced some relentless runs through the Bologna midfield and offered neat touches in possession. Rounded off a man-of-the-match performance with a goal. Influential.

Arthur Melo (CM) - 8/10 - Broke the deadlock with a deflected strike from range. Showed some defensive intelligence to smell danger and remove it as Bologna grew.

Rodrigo Bentancur (CM) - 7/10 - Pressed high up the pitch, trying to prevent Bologna from playing through the Juve midfield. Effective when it worked, but left his teammates exposed when it didn't.

Federico Bernardeschi (LM) - 6/10 - Wasted a great McKennie run by ballooning a terrible cross/shot (no one is sure) over the crossbar. Then missed the rebound following Ronaldo's low strike. Should have buried it.

3. Forwards

Cristiano Ronaldo (ST) - 6/10 - Forced Skorupski into a superb save low to his right with a drilled strike from the edge of the box. Whipped in a great cross which McKennie should have buried.

Dejan Kulusvski (ST) - 7/10 - Picked up an early card and was in the thick of the action, dishing out and receiving some rough fouls. Lots of mazy runs but lacked an end product.

4. Substitutes

Alvaro Morata (ST) - 7/10

Matthijs de Ligt (CB) - 7/10

Adrien Rabiot (CM) - 7/10

Aaron Ramsey (CM) - 6/10

Merih Demiral (CB) - N/A