There was nothing to separate Juventus and AC Milan in a goalless stalemate, leaving the Bianconeri undefeated in Serie A this season (W3, D3) thanks to a fifth successive draw in all competitions.
Facing former side Juve for the first time since departing Turin, Massimiliano Allegri saw his Milan side well-matched in the opening stages, with both teams seemingly feeling each other out.
A slow-paced start to proceedings was brought to life by the in-form Christian Pulisic when he stole possession inside his own half and darted into the area, only to be denied a shot at goal when he lost his footing.
Although the sides remained on par, Milan were looking the more likely to break the deadlock, as Santiago Gimenez produced the best opening thus far, skipping past several challenges before driving a strike straight at Michele Di Gregorio.
The Bianconeri weren’t able to carve out a clear-cut chance before the break, but they could have taken the lead had Jonathan David not slipped at the vital moment. As it were, the sides went in level thanks to Gimenez’s glancing header whistling past the far post.
In contrast to the first period, an action-packed restart saw Mike Maignan produce a world-class reaction stop to thwart Federico Gatti from point-blank range.
Grateful for that reprieve, Milan could have seized the advantage soon after when Luka Modric’s dinked ball into the box forced Lloyd Kelly into action, bundling over Gimenez as he tracked his run.
However, Pulisic couldn’t keep his composure from the resultant spot-kick, with the Rossoneri’s top scorer skewing his strike off-target.
Milan had opened the scoring in six of their previous seven games this season, and they continued to place their hosts under pressure as the hour mark ticked by, coming relatively close through substitute Rafael Leao’s audacious halfway line chip.
Attacking alterations from both managers signalled their intent, and Juventus finished strongly, but a dragged shot from Leao in the six-yard area, followed by a scuffed effort on the break, was as close as either side came to scoring in the closing stages.
A draw marks the end of Milan’s five-game winning streak in all competitions as they miss the chance to return to the Serie A summit, two points adrift in third.
As for Juve, their unbeaten league run now stands at 11 matches stretching back to last season (W6, D5), but yet another draw leaves the Bianconeri a point further behind in fifth.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Luka Modric (AC Milan)