Moise Kean, Weston McKennie and Adrien Rabiot got the goals to give Juventus a second consecutive Serie A victory, eventually crushing Empoli in Turin.
The Bianconeri stopped the rot with a 1-0 win over Torino in the Derby della Mole, but it was another far from vintage performance, so the pressure was still on. Moise Kean kept his spot, but Leonardo Bonucci and Daniele Rugani came in for Alex Sandro and injured Gleison Bremer, with Angel Di Maria, Mattia De Sciglio, Federico Chiesa, Paul Pogba and Kaio Jorge still out of action. The Tuscans were unbeaten in four away matches, but Lorenzo Tonelli, Alberto Grassi, Ardian Ismajli and Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro were not fully fit.
Kean blasted over after a strong run, but did get the opening goal when prodding in a Filip Kostic low cross from six yards at the near post, reacting faster than Juve youth team player on loan Koni De Winter. It was the Italy international’s first Serie A goal of the season.
Kean also saw his volley charged down and nodded Weston McKennie’s cross wide with a free header, while Mattia Destro forced a tricky save from Wojciech Szczesny 12 yards out after Juan Cuadrado lost possession, then moments later redirected a Fabiano Parisi strike just past the upright.
Guglielmo Vicario was off his line to deny McKennie one-on-one and Marko Pjaca’s header hit the side-netting.
It remained a very even game, but Juve took their chances and Empoli did not, as McKennie rose for a bullet header from seven yards on the Juan Cuadrado corner.
Kostic blasted over from the edge of the area, while Kean had the ball in the net on 64 minutes, but had wandered offside before nodding in the Kostic cross.
Vicario had to fingertip a swerving Cuadrado cross-shot out from under the bar and did make the save on Rabiot’s header at the back post from a Cuadrado corner, but only after the ball had completely crossed the line.
It would’ve been 4-0 if not for a desperate Vicario save on Fabio Miretti, as Manuel Locatelli laid off the Samuel Iling Junior pull-back, then the goalkeeper used his legs to parry Arkadiusz Milik’s header in stoppages.
Rabiot did get the fourth when Locatelli sent Danilo down the right, it was rolled across and Rabiot was relatively undisturbed to tap in.
Juventus 4-0 Empoli
Kean 9 (J), McKennie 55 (J), Rabiot 83, 94 (J)
that was a dominating performance, 1 bad point that fagioli should have came on
impressed by kean, played very well throughout the whole game – should have had a second goal his his header in the first half
What a bitter write up. Must have been tough.