Emil Audero (7 points): another goal-filled round as just two teams successfully blanked the opponents. Sampdoria achieved that against Crotone and that is good enough for Audero to make the top XI even though he spent most of the evening plucking grass.
Alex Sandro (8 points): Juventus again failed to hold the opponents scoreless, but their defense was instrumental in the win as it showed up big time in the other box. Sandro assembled a clinical brace, rifling it home on a corner kick and then punching it in on a Juan Cuadrado cross after a deep run.
Matthijs De Ligt (6 points): the Dutch starlet found his first goal of the campaign with a potent header after shaking free on a set-piece. He also partook on the first Sandro goal as he teed up the teammate with a little flick-on. He shined in the back as well, completely blanketing Graziano Pellè.
Omar Colley (5 points): the limited amount of clean sheets rewards the defenders of the teams that managed to blank the opponents. Sampdoria was part of the select group and the Gambian center-back won the mammoth duel with the counter-part Simy, who had hit the net in seven consecutive matches before the midweek round.
Luca Ceppitelli (5 points): stopping the Udinese front-line is not necessarily a major feat, especially in a day where they could not rely on Rodrigo De Paul, but the veteran center-back looked good in his return from injury and won his personal duel with the physical strikers of the Friulani.
Dries Mertens (5 points): the Belgian attacker opened his day by finding Matteo Politano down the flank ahead of the initial goal of the game and closed it with a tremendous first-touch bullet from distance right under the crossbar.
Nicolas Viola (6 points): the Benevento inventive midfielder delivered with a big-time performance as he was involved in both goals for his side, nailing a penalty kick and finding Gianluca Lapadula with a tremendously accurate long-ball in the box. His numbers are increasingly better for somebody who has missed half the season due to injuries.
Joao Pedro (6 points): the Cagliari stud broke out of a short-lived slump thanks to a successful PK, willing his team to a potentially pivotal W as far as the relegation struggle is concerned. He got robbed of a much more good-looking goal in the first half, where he had lobbed it over a defender with a heel flick before volleying it home, because of a soft call against a teammate.
Goran Pandev (8 points): the wily veteran is still occasionally capable of stupendous displays as he carried Genoa in the important clash with Benevento, hitting the net twice in the first half, showing great instincts in the box in both cases. It was a momentous occasion as he is now part of the club of players that have scored 100 Serie A goals.
Lorenzo Insigne (8 points). another dazzling showing for the Napoli star, who kept his aplomb from the penalty spot to open the scoring on Thursday night and then went on to bag one of his typical curled shots, but with a little more arch and softness on the trajectory than usual. He is nearing a new career high in scoring in Serie A.
Gianluca Lapadula (4 points): the gritty Benevento striker punished his former team with his finest game of the season, as he drew a foul in the box thanks to his relentless pursuit of the ball and smashed it after waltzing between defenders, snapping out of a lengthy scoring drought.
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