Inter Milan have missed the chance to reach the top of Serie A after playing out a goalless draw with champions Juventus at the San Siro.

Roberto Mancini's side failed to make the most of their superiority early on, but Juventus arguably missed the better chances on a night when a defeat may have ended the Bianconeri's title hopes.

Inter would dominate for long spells of the first half, but they could have fallen behind early on when Alvaro Morata turned to pick out Juan Cuadrado, whose strike was beaten away by Samir Handanovic.

After threatening in the opening minutes, Juventus were then forced onto the back foot as Inter started to ask questions with the likes of Ivan Perisic and Stevan Jovetic.

The visitors were rescued by their defence on numerous occasions, with Giorgio Chiellini making a vital block after Juan Jesus had managed to pick out Mauro Icardi's run into the box.

Inter were inches away from breaking the deadlock moments later as the hosts took a short corner to Marcelo Brozovic, who used the space on offer to unleash a curling effort which Gianluigi Buffon somehow tipped against the crossbar.

In a mirror image to the first half, Juventus were on top after the break as Morata once again spotted Cuadrado in space, but the Colombian was denied as Handanovic blocked his effort from a tight angle.

Jovetic had been kept quiet for an extended period before a bouncing ball provided the opportunity for him to unleash a half-volley which Buffon was forced to collect at the second attempt.

The best chance of the night fell to Sami Khedira when Morata did superbly to bring down the ball before picking out the his teammate in space inside the box, but the German could only clip the outside of the post to the relief of the home fans.

In a game that looked certain to deliver goals at one stage, the two sides struggled to find that vital piece of quality in the final third, despite another decent spell from the Inter forwards.

Cuadrado continued to be a threat on the wing, but his final ball was often disappointing and he failed to set up Paul Pogba for an easy finish after beating two defenders late on.

A dramatic finish never arrived, and the draw leaves Juventus still eight points behind Inter, who remain behind Roma and leaders Fiorentina at the top.