Locatelli sees penalty saved as Juventus slips up
Manuel Locatelli saw a late penalty saved as Juventus missed the chance to climb into Serie A's top four after being held to a 1-1 draw by Sassuolo.
The spoils were shared at Allianz Stadium, where Andrea Pinamonti struck early in the second half to cancel out Kenan Yildiz's first-half effort.
Juve broke the deadlock in the 14th minute after a breathtaking counter-attack.
Mattia Perin's long kick sent Francisco Conceicao racing down the right, before he squared the ball for the onrushing Yildiz to steer home from the edge of the penalty area.
Jay Idzes went close to equalising when he nodded over from Domenico Berardi's corner midway through the first half. However, the visitors got back on level terms in the 52nd minute, with Pinamonti stealing a yard on Lloyd Kelly to sweep home Berardi's low cross.
The Bianconeri were handed a glorious opportunity to snatch all three points five minutes from time, when Idzes was penalised for handball after a video assistant referee (VAR) review.
However, Arijanet Muric guessed correctly to deny Locatelli's tame penalty, while the Sassuolo goalkeeper also produced a superb reflex save to keep out Dusan Vlahovic's header soon afterwards, preserving a hard-earned point for the visitors.
The failure to take all three points leaves Juventus outside the top four, with Como – level on 54 points but placed fourth on goal difference – able to pull further clear if it wins its game against Pisa.
