1. Juventus in second after 2-1 win over Lazio

A fantastic match between two sides which battled for the win. Juventus took the lead in the first minutes with Chiellini powering his way through a weak Lazio defence on a corner, heading in a temporary lead for the bianconeri. But Lazio fought back, and about fifteen minutes later they scored a scrappy goal with Zarate tapping in from a corner kick swung into a crowded group of players. Yet Lazio changed their style, and as the match wore on, they began playing more and more defensively, trying to hold onto the draw. Juventus on the other hand pushed well, creating opportunities with Krasic making the right wing his own, and Aquilani playing very well to set up teammates with opportunities to score.

The game wore on, and Lazio retreated more and more into their bunker as Delneri threw on Del Piero, Pepe, and Sissoko, the three of them providing more movement in the place of tired players. And after many chances to score the winner, Juve’s top man, Milos Krasic found the 90th minute after another rampaging run down the right side. A cheeky chip, which was probably meant as an assist for players in the middle of the box, was flapped in by Muslera’s gloved hands.

A very important win for Juventus which helps them rise up to second place along with Napoli and Lazio, all three sides equal with 30 points. But this win does something else, it allows AC Milan to take a six point lead above the three teams dwelling in second place. Who would’ve thought that Allegri’s side would be six points clear around December? Certainly not I.

2. AC Milan’s new signings continue to score

AC Milan managed to pull six points ahead of second place after their 3-0 win away against Bologna. Strangely enough, the three players who scored the goals against Bolgona – Kevin-Prince Boateng, Robinho, and Ibrahimovic – were also the ones who scored against Milan’s 3-0 win against Brescia, and for total deja vu, they also scored in the same order!

But other than just an interesting stat, maybe this represents a little more. All three players are new signings which Berlusconi secured over the summer, and they’ve truly thrived under Massimiliano Allegri. While I had few doubts about how Ibrahimovic and Boateng would do, I didn’t think that Robinho would do to well in the Serie A. I’ve been proved wrong by the Brazilian who has scored six goals already this Serie A season, coincidentally the same number that the other Brazilian starlet, Pato has scored this season.

So did AC Milan do the best business this summer? It certainly seems so; with Roma’s Adriano receiving the Golden Bin award, Inter’s lack of new signings, and Juve’s slight dependence on Milos Krasic, AC Milan have made three excellent signings over the summer which are slowly winning them the scudetto.

3. Bari hit new lows after latest loss

I really don’t know what to say after seeing Bari rack up another loss. It isn’t the fact that they lost against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico which really surprises and bothers me, it’s the slide which Giampiero Ventura’s club has been going down, all the way into last place. Bari have only managed to scrounge out ten points this season! Alarming, especially compared to last season, when they arrived tenth in the Serie A.

Not too much I can say regarding this, I’m just shocked that Giampiero Ventura hasn’t managed to get more out of his talented side.

4. Sampdoria suffer from fantastic Cordova free kick

Sampdoria have lost against Brescia, and while I have been constantly mentioning the Cassano situation, and maybe the lack of a world class player, that excuse has gotten a little old. While they were playing away from home, and Brescia’s goal was a strange free kick from Cordova, that still doesn’t hide the fact that Mimmo Di Carlo’s team isn’t doing too well. Hopefully this won’t be the beginning of a fall for Sampdoria, or else maybe the president Garrone will have to go crawling back to Cassano, begging for forgiveness.

Regarding Cordova’s free kick, I say that it was strange, mainly because I’ve never seen another one scored like this. Centrally facing the goal, but pretty far out, Cordova went for pure power, and his low free kick bounced through many Sampdoria players before tricking Curci into looking like a fool as the ball hit the back of his net. Check it out if you haven’t seen it yet, a possible “Goal of the Season” contender.

5. Lecce rise above Chievo with 3-2 victory

The result which truly shocked me this weekend was seeing Chievo lose 3-2 to Lecce. Chievo who are in 12th place after this loss, losing to Lecce which only has 15 points, and is in the relegation zone at 18th place. You could say that Chievo failed to wake up quickly enough considering that they were two goals down by halftime, two very nice goals from Ofere and Piatti. Then in the second half Chievo got one back with a magnificently struck, curling free kick from Bogliacino, but before they could find an equalizer, Piatti striked again for Lecce. Chievo pulled a goal back in the final minutes to make the final score 3-2, but Sergio Pioli’s side was beaten by a confident looking Lecce.

So could Lecce play well enough to survive relegation this season? After what I saw against Chievo, they seemed like a good side, especially with the forward Piatti, who reminds me quite a bit of Diego Milito. Share your comments below regarding the Serie A action which happened over the weekend!