TEVEZ AND JUVENTUS UNSTOPPABLE

Not since the occasion of Sulley Muntari’s infamous ‘ghost goal’ three seasons ago has an AC Milan versus Juventus clash attracted so much attention.

With the Italian giants first and second in the table and Massimiliano Allegri returning to meet his old foe Pippo Inzaghi, the San Siro became a sellout and set a Serie A record for income generated from ticket sales: 3.2 million euros.

The action on the pitch didn’t quite justify the big build-up, but Juventus certainly demonstrated once again just what an irresistible force it is domestically.

The Scudetto holders dominated possession and territory throughout the game - enjoying almost 60 percent of the ball. Until the final 25 minutes they lacked a cutting edge, with Fernando Llorente particularly ponderous as he continued his goalless start to the season.

However, a goal always seemed inevitable such was their stranglehold in midfield. The deadlock was finally broken on 71 minutes by the Rossoneri’s nemesis, Carlos Tevez, a player who upset Milan CEO Adriano Galliani by signing for Juventus in 2013. The Argentine, who scored a stormer in this fixture last season, slotted home after running onto an outrageous reverse through pass from Paul Pogba.

Fernando Torres replaced Andrea Poli soon after to make his Milan debut but, like most of his teammates, he made little impact in an attacking sense. As Allegri noted at full-time, "We only ran the risk on a couple of counterattacks and on Keisuke Honda's header." Stephan El Shaarawy was very quiet and was Milan’s biggest disappointment considering he was up against Angelo Ogbonna for much of the game.

But there are plenty of positives for Milan to take from this game. While the Rossoneri were clearly second-best, they were never overrun and played a smart tactical game that will yield them plenty of points against inferior opposition. Inzaghi has molded a team that is fit, disciplined and smart.

However, a lack of real quality was their undoing. Juventus started without arguably its two best players in Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal, but still oozed class in the center of the park. Pogba was a force of nature, Claudio Marchisio continued his impressive start to the campaign and rattled the post, while Roberto Pereyra was lively throughout.

While Juventus will probably need to tweak its 3-5-2 formation in order to succeed in Europe, it continues to crush everything in its path in Italy. After a record-breaking 102-point season in 2013-14, Juve has begun life after Antonio Conte with four straight wins in all competitions under Allegri. It has not conceded a goal for almost five months – the last person to score against the Bianconeri was Simone Zaza for Sassuolo on April 28.