Race for the Scudetto: Roma & Fiorentina play out thriller, Koopmeiners & Colpani impress
Juventus played Atalanta and the match ended in a draw thanks to an incredible performance by Teun Koopmeiners, Lazio lost at home to Udinese and Lecce changed coaches after Roberto D'Aversa struck Verona's Thomas Henry with his head.
Let's take a closer look at it all.
Match of the Week - Fiorentina vs Roma
Incredible match, incredible finale: Fiorentina and Roma shared the points in a game full of drama.
Vincenzo Italiano's boys enjoyed a better start, producing a number of chances and making the most of Daniele De Rossi's questionable choice of playing with a three-man defence. It's a decision that was a reminder of the difficult times under Jose Mourinho, but De Rossi was able to fix the problem before it was too late.
Fiorentina's first goal came after several missed chances and it was scored by Luca Ranieri, from a corner kick. De Rossi then had to sub off Gianluca Mancini because he was booked and risked getting a red card in at least two different moments. Roma somehow managed to keep it 1-0 until the break though, then came back out playing in a 4-3-3 and things changed.
The Giallorossi produced several chances and found the equaliser with Houssem Aouar. Momentum was with them after that, but the Viola retook the lead with a bit of luck: two players slipped (Diego Llorente was fouled by Andrea Belotti, VAR didn't notice), allowing Rolando Mandragora to fire past Mile Svilar.
At a certain point, things became desperate for Roma: Belotti won a penalty for Fiorentina and left it to his captain Cristiano Biraghi, but the left-back was denied by Svilar, who showed in the Europa League what a great penalty stopper he is. Thanks to him, Roma were still alive.
De Rossi made some subs and chose to bring on Lorenzo Pellegrini, who wasn't fully fit, and then in the 94th minute, the equaliser was scored in the most incredible way. Pellegrini crossed with his weak foot and Evan Ndicka passed the ball to Llorente who fired an incredible shot into the top corner.
One point each, but the most important thing for Roma is that the Giallorossi managed to gain one point on Bologna, who lost against Inter.
Player of the Week - Teun Koopmeiners
After an abysmal performance against Bologna, Teun Koopmeiners took his teammates by the hand and led them to an important draw against Juventus. Gian Piero Gasperini's boys took the lead thanks to a smart free-kick routine. Gianluca Scamacca pretended to shoot, but instead passed the ball to Koopmeiners just outside the box and the Dutchman fired in to make 1-0.
Juventus managed to get level thanks to a well-built move, ended by Andrea Cambiaso after a good assist by Weston McKennie. A few minutes after that, Arkadiusz Milik gave his team the lead with a good finish.
Things were looking good for Juventus, but only for five minutes, because once again Koopmeiners found his way through the Bianconeri's defence and had a clear chance to shoot with his left foot: generally that means "goal", and that is exactly what happened.
Atalanta are now sixth in the standings while Juventus have lost second place, now occupied by Stefano Pioli's AC Milan thanks to a rather easy win against Empoli.
Talking point of the Week - Andrea Colpani pushing for an Azzurri call-up
What a beautiful player Andrea Colpani is. The Italian trequartista is finally playing at his best level and it shows. Monza defeated Genoa 3-2 and Colpani was the man of the match, even if Dany Mota scored with a bicycle kick and Daniel Maldini decided the game.
He produced two assists and a piece of outstanding play on the right side of the pitch - two dribbles and a perfect shot which smacked against the upright - and his performance served as a point of reference for his teammates.
When Colpani plays at this level, there are few defenders in the Italian league capable of stopping him, or even capable of predicting what he'll do. National team manager Luciano Spalletti is probably following him with great interest, but right now this fantastic trequartista is focused on Monza, who sit just one point behind Lazio in the standings.
It would be a mistake to consider the level of performances shown by Monza to be normal; manager Raffaele Palladino is ready for bigger teams, with all due respect to his current one.