Dusan Vlahovic scored twice – on the volley and stealing it on the line from Weston McKennie – to conquer Lecce and send Juventus top of the table, as Inter have a game in hand.
The Bianconeri made the trip without Federico Chiesa, Adrien Rabiot, Moise Kean and Mattia De Sciglio, but McKennie and Federico Gatti returned from suspension. The hosts missed Lameck Banda, Hamza Rafia, Ahmed Touba and Kastriot Dermaku, hoping to turn a corner after one point and one goal in the last four rounds.
McKennie thought he had scored when nodding a Fabio Miretti corner that looped past Wladimiro Falcone, but was denied by the Nikola Krstovic goal-line clearance.
Vlahovic had timid penalty appeals for his tussle with Marin Pongracic, but it seemed to be mutual pushing and shoving.
Filip Kostic blasted over from a tight angle, as did Krstovic on the Remy Oudin assist, while Vlahovic just failed to get on the end of a ferocious Andrea Cambiaso cross.
After the restart, Pontus Almqvist sprinted down the right only for Gleison Bremer to do just enough to stop him putting the cross in.
McKennie had another header from a corner, this one straight at Falcone, then Vlahovic’s diving header on the Kostic cross flashed just wide of the far post.
Juventus finally broke through in chaotic fashion, as Kenan Yildiz started the counter-attack with a great first touch and tested Falcone, then Andrea Cambiaso floated in a cross for the clumsy yet effective Vlahovic volley from 12 yards that bounced into the far top corner.
Dušan Vlahović's goal that takes him into double figures for the season 🫡 pic.twitter.com/KEgKLJ7fy5
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 21, 2024
The Bianconeri doubled their lead when Kostic whipped a cross for the McKennie header from a tight angle and just before it went in, Vlahovic got his studs to the ball to make sure – and steal the goal for himself.
Wojciech Szczesny was right behind a Patrick Dorgu curler and Gleison Bremer added a third late on, rising above the crowd to nod in a Samuel Iling Junior free kick.
Szczesny kept the clean sheet with a great one-handed save on Nicola Sansone deep into stoppages.
Lecce 0-3 Juventus
Vlahovic 59, 68 (J), Bremer 85 (J)
Player statistic
23' | Weston McKennie |
60' | Dusan Vlahovic (Assist: Andrea Cambiaso) | |||
68' | Dusan Vlahovic (Assist: Weston McKennie) | |||
85' | Bremer (Assist: Samuel Iling-Junior) | |||
Mohamed Kaba | 89' |