Empoli vs. Juventus: Winners and Losers from Serie A Game
Juventus followed up their shock midweek loss to Genoa with a hard-earned 2-0 win over Empoli at the Stadio Carlo Castellani.
Bianconeri coach Massimiliano Allegri took a gamble by resting Carlos Tevez, Fernando Llorente, Paul Pogba and Stephan Lichtsteiner (though Tevez and Lichtsteiner both got minutes in the second half), but the side was still good enough to get past a limited Empoli outfit.
The Italian champions never looked entirely convincing, but managed to take the lead thanks to a fine Andrea Pirlo free-kick in the second half, before the lively Alvaro Morata scored a second to secure the points.
With Roma's defeat to Napoli in the earlier game, Juve move three points clear at the top of Serie A once more.
Here are the individual winners and losers from the game.
Winner: Andrea Pirlo
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In a game with a limited number of clear chances in the opening hour, Juventus looked to their legendary midfielder to break the deadlock.
No matter how poorly the Bianconeri are playing, they can always rely on Pirlo's brilliance from dead-ball situations to give them a strong chance of scoring, and once again the 35-year-old came through with the goods.
He guided his free-kick through the tiniest of gaps in the Empoli wall and into the back of the net, to give his team the all-important first goal.
Loser: Arturo Vidal
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With so many of Juve's match-winners missing, Arturo Vidal needed to take command of the game for the visitors.
Instead, he looked strangely uninterested.
The Chilean can be such a driving force in midfield, but in this game he barely contributed in attack and was also wasteful in possession on too many occasions.
He also picked up a pointless yellow card in the 53rd minute to earn a suspension for next week.
Luckily for Vidal, Pirlo was there to help the team wrap up all three points.
Winner: Mario Rui
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Empoli left-back Mario Rui was in the thick of the action all evening.
He edged an enthralling running battle with Juventus' energetic right-sided midfielder, Roberto Pereyra, keeping the Argentinian reasonably quiet throughout the match.
The Portuguese player also saw plenty of ball when Empoli were in possession, distributing well and getting forward frequently to add an extra dimension to his side's attack.
Loser: Sebastian Giovinco
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Tiny Italian forward Sebastian Giovinco, given a chance in the starting XI, began the game brightly but was unable to really make his mark.
It has been a criticism of Giovinco throughout his career that he lacks end product, and he was once again unable to threaten goal despite looking impressive as he regularly glided past defenders outside the area.
Tevez's spot in the starting side is not likely to be under threat any time soon.
Winner: Massimiliano Allegri
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With a hugely important Champions League clash with Olympiakos looming in midweek, Allegri decided he would rest some of Juve's best players and still escape from Empoli with three points.
In the end, he was right.
It wasn't the most fluid of performances from Juventus, but when you have such legendary players as Gianluigi Buffon and Pirlo in the side, you're always going to be the favourites against a team from the lower regions of the ladder.
