Draw at Udinese denies Juve top spot

Juventus missed the chance to return to the summit of Serie A after being held to a goalless draw at title rivals Udinese. Juve lost their grip on top spot last night when AC Milan overhauled them with a 2-0 win over Cagliari, and tonight's stalemate means Antonio Conte's men are now level on 34 points with I Rossoneri but behind them on goal difference. The draw keeps Udinese in third place, just two points behind the leading duo. Both sides had chances to win tonight's encounter at Stadio Friuli and goalkeepers Samir Handanovic and Gianluigi Buffon had to work hard for their clean sheets. Juventus saw Claudio Marchisio pepper the Udinese goal with two sighters inside the first eight minutes, while Simone Pepe threatened for the visitors after ten minutes but Handanovic made a routine save. Two minutes later, it was Buffon's turn to warm his hands, saving well from Mauricio Isla's effort from the right side of the area. Marchisio fired wide on 35 minutes as Juventus continued to press, while moments later Handanovic got down well to stop Arturo Vidal's 25-yard effort. The home goalkeeper also had to be on his toes five minutes before the break, gathering well from Andrea Pirlo's angled drive. Udinese looked sharper after the break and Buffon was the busier of the two keepers, with Kwadwo Asamoah and Antonio Di Natale both seeing efforts saved in the second period. But the best save of the half belonged to Handanovic, who kept out Fabio Quagliarella's low 83rd-minute shot with a full-stretch save.