AS Roma and Juventus were unable to separate themselves in an entertaining battle for the Serie A European spots, as the Giallorossi's seven-match winning run came to an end in a 1-1 draw.

It was a cagey start, but even in that cagey opening, Juventus looked more fluid in attack than they had under the departing Thiago Motta.

They also enjoyed almost complete control of the ball, enjoying over 80% of possession in the opening 20 minutes, although they were repeatedly denied access to the box by a formidable Roma backline.

There followed a brief spell of positive play for the hosts, who were unlucky not to take the lead when Bryan Cristante's effort was saved by a brilliant sliding save from Pierre Kalulu.

The rest of the first half was played at a frenetic pace and it wasn't long before both sides were hitting the woodwork. Nico Gonzalez's header was brilliantly tipped onto the crossbar by Mile Svilar, before Stephan El Shaarawy hit the post at the other end.

But the best moment of the half came five minutes from time when Kalulu's cross was cleared to the edge of the area and Manuel Locatelli's elegant volley found Svilar in the bottom corner.

Claudio Ranieri made the bold decision to take off Mats Hummels for an extra striker at the break, and it took less than five minutes for the decision to pay dividends.

Evan Ndicka's header was well saved by Michele Di Gregorio, but substitute Eldor Shomurodov was the first to react, hitting the crossbar from close range.

Roma looked the more likely side to score the next goal, but smart defending from the likes of Kalulu kept things level until the final moments.

Juve turned the tide in the final 10 minutes, pushing for a late winner, but were ultimately unlucky to escape with a point.

While Roma failed to pick up three points in Serie A for the first time since early February, this result against a strong opponent will surely motivate them ahead of next weekend's heated Derby della Capitale against sixth-placed Lazio.

Meanwhile, Juve avoided defeat at the hands of a direct rival and remain fifth, although they have now won just three of their 15 games against the current top nine this season.