Federico Chiesa’s cool 82nd minute finish secured Juventus a 2-0 win over Empoli in Serie A, but the visitors squandered plenty of chances and missed a penalty.
Captain Danilo opened the scoring for Massimiliano Allegri’s side after Filip Kostic’s corner eventually made its way to the Brazilian, who finished smartly.
Around the half hour mark Duhan Vlahovic missed a penalty after a foul on Federico Gatti by Youssef Maleh.
However with just ten minutes to go Italian winger Chiesa latched onto Arkadiusz Milik’s through ball to calmly go round the Empoli keeper Etrit Berisha and roll home.
Juventus could have had more when Milik’s header was denied by the woodwork in stoppage time, while striker Moise Kean also hit the post shortly after.
Juventus maintain their unbeaten run in the league so far with this win on the road, while Empoli sit bottom of Serie A without a win.
Brazilian defender Danilo powered home the opener before Federico Chiesa secured the win
After the result Massimiliano Allegri’s Juventus sit third in Serie A behind Milan and Inter
‘It was a good performance against an Empoli side that is not easy to play against,’ Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri told Sky Sports Italia.
‘We allowed practically nothing at the back, but need to be calmer in the final third or with the final ball, as we were a bit too frenetic.’
Juventus captain Danilo thought he had given them an early advantage with a close-range header following a corner but the goal was ruled out due to a collision with keeper Etrit Berisha just before the strike.
He did not have to wait long for a goal however as he put the visitors ahead after 24 minutes, deftly sweeping the ball into the net following a scramble after a corner.
Dusan Vlahovic missed a penalty around the half-hour mark, after Youssef Maleh fouled Federico Gatti and Juventus maintained their dominance in the second half, with Chiesa going close to scoring, sending the ball inches wide of the far post.
Juve had a second goal chalked off in the 66th minute when Paul Pogba found the net with an elegant volley, before the effort was ruled out because Vlahovic, who had chested the ball down to him, was offside.
They did manage to double their lead, however, when Arkadiusz Milik’s pass sent Chiesa clear on goal and he skipped around Berisha’s challenge to slide the ball home and seal the win in the 82nd minute.
Milik nearly scored a third for Juventus in stoppage time, as his header struck the woodwork, while team mate Moise Kean also hit the post shortly after.
Juve’s Federico Chiesa rounds the goalkeeper to score and seal their win at Empoli
Juventus have made an unbeaten start to the campaign, with two wins and a draw to date
After the match, Pogba seemed to be in discomfort, touching the back of his thigh.
‘We don’t know anything yet, he felt a twinge at the back, so we’ll see what the tests say,’ said Allegri who praised Pogba for his performance.
When asked about Juventus’s ambitions the season, Allegri denied they were favourites for the league title.
‘There are teams out there better equipped to win the Scudetto, such as Inter, Napoli and Milan,’ he said.
‘We must do well to stay as close to them as possible and finish in the top four.’
