Aston Villa's win-less run extended to seven games in all competitions as they were held to a goal-less draw by Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
There was certainly the feel of a chess match in the opening period as Thiago Motta matched up against Unai Emery, whom he played under towards the end of his career at Paris Saint-Germain.
Juventus supporters have grown familiar with this sorts of performance, which offered composure and bravery in the first phase but a lack of reliable progression further up the pitch. The centre was congested in the first half, with both sides struggling to play through the thirds. As a result, the two goalkeepers were tested just once before the break, while Lucas Digne clipped the bar with a deft free-kick on the stroke of half-time.
The contest did open up after the restart, with both teams missing gilt-edge chances after the hour. Francisco Conceicao drew an incredible save out of Emiliano Martinez, while John McGinn was denied on the line by the boot of Manuel Locatelli.
It seemed as if the tie was heading towards a stalemate, but there was time for drama at the death. Morgan Rogers thought he'd stolen with the last kick of the game, but his goal was ruled out for Diego Carlos' soft foul on Michele Di Gregorio.
Here are the player ratings from the game according to FotMob.
Lucas Digne
Lucas Digne struck the woodwork with a free-kick / DARREN STAPLES/GettyImages
*Ratings provided by FotMob*
Player Rating
GK: Emiliano Martinez 6.9/10
RB: Matty Cash 7.4/10
CB: Diego Carlos 7.0/10
CB: Pau Torres 7.3/10
LB: Lucas Digne 7.7/10
RM: Leon Bailey 6.9/10
CM: Boubacar Kamara 7.1/10
CM: Youri Tielemans 7.0/10
LM: Morgan Rogers 6.4/10
AM: John McGinn (c) 6.5/10
ST: Ollie Watkins 6.1/10
SUB: Jhon Duran (78' for Watkins) 6.1/10
SUB: Ross Barkley (78' for Kamara) 6.0/10
SUB: Jaden Philogene (86' for Bailey) N/A
Subs not used: Robin Olsen (GK), Joe Gauci (GK), Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, Emiliano Buendia, Kosta Nedeljkovic, Ian Maatsen, Lamare Bogarde.
Michele Di Gregorio
Michele Di Gregorio was fouled in a crucial moment / Ryan Pierse/GettyImages
*Ratings provided by FotMob*
Player Rating
GK: Michele Di Gregorio 8.3/10
RB: Nicolo Savona 6.5/10
CB: Federico Gatti 7.2/10
CB: Pierre Kalulu 6.5/10
LB: Andrea Cambiaso 7.4/10
CM: Manuel Locatelli (c) 8.0/10
CM: Khephren Thuram 6.7/10
RM: Francisco Conceicao 7.9/10
AM: Teun Koopmeiners 6.8/10
LM: Kenan Yildiz 7.6/10
ST: Timothy Weah 6.6/10
SUB: Danilo (66' for Savona) 6.3/10
SUB: Samuel Mbangula (83' for Yildiz) N/A
SUB: Nicolo Fagioli (86' for Thuram) N/A
Subs not used: Mattia Perin (GK), Carlo Pinsoglio (GK), Jonas Rouhi.
Player of the match - Michele Di Gregorio (Juventus)
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