Cagliari-Juventus, CM’s player ratings: Maldini unstoppable. Kolo Muani breaks through but then makes another mistake. Woltemade invisible

Caprile 6.5: Juventus create no clear-cut chances, but he is ready whenever they get into the box, coming off his line and making well-judged saves. He can do nothing about Kolo Muani's second-half goal, and the crossbar spares him on another occasion. He stays alert, producing outstanding saves at least twice to deny Kolo Muani and Zhegrova.

Ze Pedro 5.5: Covers well in the first half, but loses his position after the break. Alajbegovic and even Cambiaso beat him too often.

Mina 7: When an opposing manager complains at half-time about the rough treatment his forwards are getting, you know you are doing your job. Mina times his tackles to perfection too.

Rodriguez 6: Makes one mistake: he approaches Nico Gonzalez flat-footed, gets beaten and brings him down. The resulting yellow card prompts Pisacane to substitute him.

(from the 46th minute, Deiola 5.5: His biggest mistake is a bookable foul on Kolo Muani, but he then holds his position well and proves vital on several occasions, particularly when denying Woltemade a goal)

Obert 5.5: Keeps Conceicao quiet, but Zhegrova's runs cause him problems in the second half. He then fails to read Kolo Muani's run for the 1-1 equaliser.

(from the 84th minute, Fazzini not rated)

Adopo 6.5: Breaks up play, drives forward, creates chances and never stops running. He holds his own superbly one-on-one against Juventus' creative players and plays forward whenever he can. Invaluable.

Winks 6: His shot from the edge of the box gives Vicario a scare. It is the highlight of a performance in which he is unusually less accurate than he has been so far.

Romano 6.5: Calm and composed on the ball, he is always available to his team-mates. He puts in plenty of running to help out on the flanks too.

Massolin 6: A positive first start for the former Modena player. He seldom gets forward but works hard and makes a substantial contribution to the team.

(from the 60th minute, Fadera 6: offers more on the few counter-attacks after coming on than he does defensively)

Maldini 7: Picks up where he left off, breaking the deadlock in a closely contested match with a trademark piece of play. Ice-cool in front of Vicario, he also comes close to setting up Winks with a perfect assist. Whenever Cagliari create anything, he is involved. His fourth consecutive goal rewards his progress

(from the 69th minute, Sugawara 6: Disciplined and alert, he is rarely beaten. Cagliari do, however, sit considerably deeper with him on the pitch instead of Maldini).

Mendy 6.5: He does not catch the eye, but his contributions matter more than they might appear. Holding up the ball and laying it off for Maldini is just the tip of the iceberg. He stretches the team, manages counter-attacks and always gives the defence a long outlet

(from the 69th minute, Nzola 5.5: Struggles to do what Mendy did best. Once he comes on, Cagliari cannot get out of their own penalty area. His lack of movement lets Lucumì and Bremer read his play perfectly).

Manager Pisacane 6: Stifles Juventus for more than 70 minutes, but the substitutions and his players' physical decline force him to make changes. The substitutes drop too deep and give Juventus two chances. One proves decisive, while he has Kolo Muani to thank for the other. His Cagliari side are nevertheless extremely solid and show it again. Pisacane is also sent off in the final melee with Spalletti.

Vicario 6.5: Vicario can do nothing about Maldini's goal. Left unmarked by the defence, Maldini beats him from virtually point-blank range. A save from Winks' left-footed shot from the edge of the area keeps Juventus in the game, and Vicario also denies Mendy and Fadera, although both are subsequently flagged offside. Juventus have found a reliable presence at the back.

Kalulu 6: Kalulu and his team-mates lose track of Maldini's run after the initial deflection, leaving him a clear path into the middle of the area. He rarely gets forward and offers little when he does. His second-half improvement brings little attacking threat.

Bremer 5.5: Bremer is completely out of position for Maldini's goal, though he is unlucky, through no fault of his own, to set off the ricochets that lead to it. With no fixed point of reference against Mendy, he struggles to track him across the pitch. He leads a defence that struggles badly, especially in open space.

Lucumì 6: A poor start sees Lucumì allow Mendy to get in front of him and Maldini to make it 1-0. He improves, though, and effectively shuts down Nzola in the second half, helping Juventus pin Cagliari back in their area.

Celik 6: Alert defensively, Celik also reaches the byline on the left several times. Adopo and Massolin rarely make headway down that side, and he contains them comfortably.

(from the 64th minute Cambiaso 5.5: Spalletti loudly rebukes him for a casual start. One attacking flash forces Caprile into a save, but he is still clearly short of fitness).

Douglas Luiz 5.5: Douglas Luiz mixes good work in the build-up with mistakes that force his team-mates to chase back and make amends. He always makes himself available for a pass, but his use of the ball is part of the reason Juventus struggle to play forward.

(from the 84th minute Koopmeiners not rated)

Sarr 6: Sarr has his ups and downs over the 90 minutes. He offers a few attacking bursts and makes some excellent defensive reads, including when he drops back to help at the last moment. He gives the team the balance it needs, but at 1-0 down, Juventus need more courage from him.

Conceicao 5.5: Apart from an early shot over the bar, Conceicao shows almost none of the flashes that have made his name. He works hard to bring his team-mates into play, but Obert marks him out of the game.

(from the 46th minute Zhegrova 6.5: Within 10 minutes of coming on, he shows everything Conceicao had failed to provide. He forces more than one save from Caprile, dribbles past opponents and sets up Kolo Muani, who opts to dummy the ball rather than shoot from just behind the penalty spot. Juventus' second-half threat comes largely through him).

McKennie 5: Playing behind Kolo Muani, McKennie should make better use of the spaces the Frenchman leaves as he moves around. Instead, an early yellow card for a bad foul on Romano affects him so much that he becomes practically invisible.

(from the 46th minute Alajbegovic 6.5: He starts slowly, offering a few more moves than the American he replaces but falling short of what he has shown so far. As the minutes pass, he improves. Between the 80th and 85th minutes, he delivers two perfect crosses for Kolo Muani, leading to a goal and a glaring miss by the Frenchman)

Nico Gonzalez 6.5: Nico Gonzalez is Juventus' most dangerous player in a first half short on chances. He runs, wins fouls, crosses and links up with his team-mates, while also forcing Caprile into action a few times. With too little support, he soon runs out of steam and Spalletti takes him off.

(from the 60th minute Woltemade 5.5: He takes some pressure off Kolo Muani and gives him more freedom, but offers very little himself. Too many technical mistakes leave him little threat in front of goal)

Kolo Muani 6: Spalletti has said it repeatedly: the Frenchman is not a striker who occupies the penalty area. Poor first touches and confusion undermine him, and he even dummies the ball for a team-mate when he could shoot with the whole goal in front of him. In the second half, Alajbegovic's superb vision creates a goal for him, then an almost identical chance sees him strike the crossbar with his foot when alone in front of Caprile. His goalscoring difficulties are not yet entirely behind him.

Manager Spalletti6: Spalletti gets his starting selections wrong despite knowing the limitations of the players he sends out. His half-time substitutions change the game, leaving him to rue Kolo Muani hitting the crossbar from close range at 1-1. Trouble also follows him when play stops: he complains to Yerri Mina at half-time and clashes with Pisacane at the end of the match, leading to both managers being sent off. His team show the same nervousness on the pitch.