Juventus have closed the gap at the top of the Serie A table back to one point courtesy of a 1-0 victory over Cagliari at the Sardegna Arena this evening.
It looked as though the defending champions might fall further off the pace having failed to open the scoring despite numerous chances in the first half, but Federico Bernardeschi's goal 15 minutes from time proved to be enough.
The Old Lady have now won their last six matches across all competitions to move back to within a point of Napoli, who beat Hellas Verona earlier in the day to temporarily extend their lead.
Juve would have been forgiven for thinking that it might not be their day when they were denied by the woodwork twice inside the opening 20 minutes, the first of which saw Paulo Dybala's free kick crash against the crossbar.
Bernardeschi was the next to hit the frame of the goal when he cut inside and unleashed a fine strike from the right channel which beat the keeper but came back off the post.
The visitors did finally have the ball in the back of the net midway through the first half, but this time it was the offside flag which denied them the opening goal as Mehdi Benatia's header was quickly ruled out.
Having been hanging on for much of the match up to that stage, Cagliari fired a warning shot of their own to Juventus shortly before the half-hour mark when Leonardo Pavoletti rose highest inside the area but could only nod his header off target.
Juventus then had the woodwork to thank themselves right on the stroke of half time as the hosts continued to grow into the game, with Diego Farias's strike coming off the post after he had found space to shoot from inside the area.
Massimiliano Allegri's side did not find chances as easy to come by in the opening stage of the second half, and it wasn't until the hour mark that they really threatened again, with Miralem Pjanic firing a dangerous strike narrowly wide of the target from outside the area.
Juve had already lost Dybala to a hamstring injury by that point, but his replacement Douglas Costa proved instrumental when the defending champions did finally take the lead with 15 minutes remaining, delivering a wicked low cross into the box which Bernardeschi finished off from close range.
Cagliari refused to give up in the closing stages and were given an extra glimmer of hope when six minutes of injury time were indicated, but there was ultimately no way back as they remain only five points clear of the relegation zone.
Juventus, on the other hand, are now unbeaten in their last 11 outings across all competitions - including seven in Serie A to stretch their lead over third-placed Inter Milan to eight points ahead of the winter break.
CAGLIARI (3-5-1-1): Rafael; Romagna, Ceppitelli, Pisacane (Giannetti, 88'); Farago, Barella (Van der Wiel, 86'), Cigarini, Ionita (Sau, 69'), Padoin; Farias; Pavoletti
JUVENTUS (4-3-2-1): Szczesny; Barzagli, Benatia, Chiellini, Sandro; Khedira (Mandzukic, 60'), Pjanic, Matuidi; Bernardeschi (Lichtsteiner, 79'), Dybala (Costa, 50'); Higuain
Barney Corkhill
