The fact that Medhi Benatia was making just his 10^th league appearance of the season last night is perhaps one of the largest indicators of Juventus’ strength in defence.

With injury keeping Giorgio Chiellini on the sidelines, Benatia stepped up to the mark against Milan on Friday evening to deliver an all-round performance of the highest quality.

Paired alongside Leonardo Bonucci, the Moroccan, together with his Italian ball-playing partner was free to dictate the game from the back and the pair’s influence on their team in possession was clear to see.

Benatia’s 65 forward passes made him the second most prolific passer of the ball – behind Bonucci (70) – and with three interceptions and two tackles, the game’s top-ranking defender, but it was his intervention at the other end of the field that will stand out in the memory.

Picking off a stray pass in midfield, Medhi strode into the Milan half with the confidence of a centre-midfielder before galloping into the box and finishing Dani Alves’ cross with the ruthlessness and composure of a striker to net his first goal for the club.

A stray back pass threatened to undo his excellent work overall late on but should take little away from what was a very promising comeback showing from Juventus’ number 4.

Reaching peak form

“We’re in great shape. The most important part of the season is coming up now and every top player prepares all year around to be ready for these moments. Now is the time to go and win some trophies!”

Buying the black and white mentality

“I knew I was joining a strong Juventus squad since this team had won five consecutive Scudetto titles and reached the Champions League final two seasons previously, and my expectations have become a reality. I am part of a group that wants to win everything and that’s what drives me as a professional; I tell myself every day that, together with my team-mates, we can make history this season.

“The atmosphere at Juventus Stadium reminds of me of Brazil or Seville; the supporters there are fighting by your side and are all pulling in the same direction. Their passion gives us that little extra strength out on the field.”

Milan? A reward for our hard work

“We’re talking about a squad of players that never let their heads drop and never stop believing. Winning in such spectacular fashion against Milan was a reward for the work we have putting in on the training ground.

“It was a fabulous game and we deserved to win it. Matches like that give you such an adrenaline boost; with that energy coursing through your veins, you can’t help but keep your intensity and focus high right until the very end. Step by step, we’re moving towards a sixth Scudetto and making history for this club.”

All eyes on the UCL

“It’s clear to see how much importance is placed on the Champions League here. Just like all the Juve supporters out there, I want to aim for the top and I am convinced that if we keep moving forwards with calm, clear heads and without making mistakes, we can go all the way.

“There’s no time for us to rest  after Milan and to be honest, we don’t want to! We love it when the games come thick and fast and we’re focused on reaching the quarter-finals. We want to deliver a great performance on Tuesday and send everyone home happy.”

“It was a great game tonight and hats off to AC Milan as they never let up but these are three massive points in the title race,” said Miralem Pjanic after Friday’s match at Juventus Stadium.

“The league isn’t over by any means. We still have some tricky games to negotiate so we must stay focused till the end. Now we head into the home straight and this is a crucial period for us, the fans and the management.

“We’ll have lots of games in quick succession so we have to be smart when it comes to recovery and managing our energy levels,” he continued.

Despite a quiet start to life at Juventus, Pjanic is now thriving in his new role. “At the start of the season I had to get used to a system I’d never played before but my approach is always the same. I give my all and feel the club have faith in me. Plus I believe that to be considered an intelligent player you need to be able to adapt to anything.

“We’ve all pushed on since we changed formation too. Whereas we still got results in the first half of the campaign, now we’re playing better, more solid football.

“I learn from the coach and the professionals I work alongside on a daily basis,” concluded Pjanic. “I’ll do what’s best for the team just like everyone else and now we have to keep going to achieve our targets. Obviously it was all smiles in the dressing tonight.”

Massimiliano Allegri described the draw at Udinese as the fair result due to his side’s performance and he was similarly objective after the win over AC Milan.

“We played very well,” said the coach post-match. “We allowed them to break a little too often but, thanks to the technical ability of our players, we created a host of goalscoring chances.

“It wasn’t easy as [Gianluigi] Donnarumma played brilliantly, making a wonderful save with seconds remaining,” he continued. “Paulo [Dybala] did very well to strike the penalty so cleanly.”

“The officials’ positioning was good,” was Allegri’s comment on the penalty decision, before he praised the opposition’s performance.

“AC Milan played excellently. They come under pressure but they stay in the game. We switched off at times and allowed them to break. If we don’t focus for 95 minutes, because of our style of play, we can see moves such as the one that led to their equaliser.

“That’s one more win chalked off on our run towards the league title. The three points against AC Milan came at the end of a terrific game of football against a top side who can cause you problems when the game gets stretched. I would have said the same about my team even if we’d drawn. Football is made up of incidents and our tally of 70 points tells its own story.

“[Marko] Pjaca played well especially given he only found out he was starting five minutes before kick-off. He didn’t score but he needs to relax because there’s no problem if he doesn’t find the net for a couple of games.

“I’m always telling Dybala that he’s crucial between the lines and he put in a brilliant performance tonight.”

Allegri concluded with a nod to Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Porto.

“We’re all delighted today. This win means we can enjoy our weekend and above all focus as best we can on Tuesday.”