Maurizio Sarri admits the opening Lazio goal could’ve been disallowed, but also that Juventus ‘ended the game with a couple of extra guests’ because Manuel Locatelli and Juan Cuadrado risked red cards.

The Biancocelesti already knew they were safe in second place regardless of this result, but further consolidated that position thanks to a 2-1 victory over Juventus.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic fired in the Mattia Zaccagni cross after Alex Sandro went over too easily and Adrien Rabiot bundled the equaliser over from close range, but the decider was pure Sarriball with Luis Alberto’s backheel flick for Zaccagni.

“I am proud of the attitude of these players. The consistency we achieved months ago in training is slowly starting to bleed through to the match situations,” Sarri told DAZN.

“The team plays with a different spark, aggression and confidence, it is always in the game and that pleases me.”

The coach was asked if he is prouder of the Luis Alberto back-heel flick or the hard work the Spaniard and Milinkovic-Savic did in defending during the final 10 minutes.

“That quality is in their DNA, so they will always have that, but if they are prepared to track back and defend in this way, we become a different team.”

There was some debate over the opening goal, as Juve felt Milinkovic-Savic had pushed Alex Sandro.

“To be perfectly honest, my impression from a distance was that the referee could’ve blown the whistle there. Having said that, I also got the impression we ended the game with a couple of extra guests, because Juve should’ve gone down to nine men.

“Locatelli’s foul in the first half was not a yellow, that was a red card. Cuadrado was safeguarded and the proof he deserved a red card is that the coach immediately substituted him after that.

“The risk against Juventus is playing with a slow tempo, as they have this way of lulling you into a false sense of security. We talked about it all week to be ready, and our tempo in the first 60 minutes especially forced them to scramble.”

Biancocelesti fans also appreciated the fact this side is now reflecting Sarrismo, with a banner that read: ‘Maurizio one of us, Lazio style invades you.’

“That was a phrase I said in the press conference last week. From the outside, it is difficult to understand Lazio style, but from close up it does really invade you, give you a sense of belonging that is rare in most clubs.”

This result puts Lazio five points clear of third-placed Roma, but the most important statistic is the one that has them seven clear of Inter in fifth.

They also have a particular advantage over the others in the race for the top four, as they are already out of the Coppa Italia and the Conference League, giving them a full week to prepare for every match.

“In the League, we are a consistent team and the only setbacks tended to be in Europe. The only way we’ll see if we truly have stepped up in terms of mentality is when we can do it every three days.

“Sometimes the points look like there are many, sometimes there are few. The truth is there are 27 points up for grabs, as I said before, it is not easy now, just as it was not impossible a few weeks ago when we were trailing.”

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