Paulo Dybala came off the bench to propel Juventus back at the top of the Italian Serie A when they battled past Milan in Turin last night.
After seeing their close rivals Inter go two points clear at the top following a hard-fought 2-1 win over Verona on Saturday, the onus was on the Italian champions to claim the three points and regain the upperhand in this season’s title race.
However, it looked as though that the Bianconeri were set for a frustrating night at the Juventus Stadium as they were well below their best for much of the match with their star striker Cristiano Ronaldo, who struggled to leave his mark, substituted for the second successive match nine minutes into the second half by Dybala.
However, that turned out to be a masterstroke by Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri as the Argentine striker, for the umpteenth time this season, came to his team’s rescue when he netted the all-important goal on 77 minutes.
Dybala was set up by his fellow Argentine team-mate Gonzalo Higuain and he let fly a powerful drive that gave no chance to Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The win lifted Juventus back to the top of the standings on 32 points, one ahead of Inter as the Serie A stops for the international break..
Earlier, Ciro Immobile scored his 14th league goal this season as Lazio bounced back from their European disappointment with a 4-2 win over Lecce to move third, ahead of Cagliari who continued their superb form with a rout of Fiorentina.
But Roma drop to sixth after falling 2-0 at Parma to end their six-match unbeaten league run.
Simone Inzaghi’s Lazio had been stunned when Scottish champions Celtic snatched a late 2-1 Europa League victory in Rome last weel.
But Argentine forward Joaquin Correa hit a brace either side of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic’s strike, with Serie A top-scorer Immobile slotting in a penalty against promoted Lecce at the Stadio Olimpico.
Lazio move third, level on points with Cagliari, but ahead on goal difference.
Cagliari, meanwhile, can dream of a European berth after 10-man Atalanta, in fifth equal on points with Roma, were held to a goalless draw at Claudio Ranieri’s Sampdoria.
Lazio extended their winning run to four consecutive league games before the international break.
The momentum changed for promoted southerners Lecce after a Gianluca Lapadula goal was ruled out on 68 minutes.
Lapadula, who had scored for Lecce five minutes before the break, turned in a rebound after Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha had saved a Khouma Babacar penalty.
But the goal was disallowed after consultation with VAR for encroachment.
Lazio earned a penalty five minutes later which Immobile converted for his 10th goal in seven league games.
Cagliari, who battled relegation last season, have been in superb form since Radja Nainggolan returned after five years away from Sardinia.
The Belgian contributed three assists and capped a stellar performance with the fifth goal of the game on 65 minutes in a thumping 5-2 victory.
“Not even in the most optimistic forecasts could we have imagined being here,” said Cagliari coach Rolando Maran.
“Radja is capable of extraordinary things and you just have to stand back and applaud.”
Ribery absence
Fiorentina are struggling without Franck Ribery who is serving a three-match ban for pushing an official.
Nainggolan set up Mark Rog for the opener on 17 minutes, with Fabio Pisacane nodding in the second less than ten minutes later.
The 31-year-old was involved again in Giovanni Simeone’s third goal against the Argentinian ’s parent club, as well as Joao Pedro’s effort 10 minutes after the break, before blasting in his second goal of the campaign from distance.
He was given a standing ovation when replaced in the 78th minute.
Serbian Dusan Vlahovic pulled two late goals back for Fiorentina in the final quarter of an hour but the Tuscans sit ninth just behind Parma.
Atalanta lost ground in the league days after their 1-1 draw against Manchester City.
The Bergamo side are winless in three league games and played the last 15 minutes in Genoa a man down after Ruslan Malinovskiy was sent off for a second yellow card.
Their next game after the international break will be at home against Juventus.
Paulo Fonseca’s injury-depleted Roma also showed signs of fatigue after their Europa League defeat against Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Parma goalkeeper Luigi Sepe denied Javier Pastore, Cendiz Under, and Nicolo Zaniolo, with a Aleksandar Kolarov free kick hitting the post.
But Parma pulled through thanks to a Mattia Sprocati strike on 68 minutes and Andreas Cornelius finding a way through deep into injury time.