Torino 0-1 Juventus: Bullish Bianconeri Ease Passed Mazzari's Men as Serie A Title Race Rages on

Juventus cruised to a 1-0 victory against Torino in a fiercely fought Turin Derby in Serie A, a result that sees Maxi Allregi's side move to the top of the table as their two-horse title race with Napoli rages on.

I Bianconeri took the lead midway through the first half, as Alex Sandro tapped home from a yard out after Federico Bernardeschi scythed his way through the Torino defence. The turgid encounter Juventus sit back and hold on to their lead in the second half, as I Granata were unable to find the necessary gusto to break down their stubborn and experienced defence.

Juventus set the pace from the first whistle, knocking the ball across their back four as the home fans implored their side to take the game to their fierce rivals. Torino's Joel Obi spurned a fine early opportunity to open the scoring  after finding himself through on goal, but his square ball to Andrea Belotti was scrambled clear by the shaken Juve defence.

Midway through the first half Juventus had their first chance of the match, as Douglas Costa burst down the right wing, before clipping a ball across the face of goal. A deflected header saw the ball land at Kwadwo Asamoah's feet at the edge of the area, and his skidding, low effort was blocked on its way goal wards by a sprawling Nicolás Burdisso.

The visitors were firmly in control of play, with Torino looking to hit their opponents on the break with fast, counter-attacking play. The hosts had the first shot on target in the 27th minute, as Iago Falque's dipping cross was glanced toward goal by Lorenzo De Silvestri, who forced Wojciech Szczęsny to make a diving stop down to his right.

Soon after, Miralem Pjanić's free-kick from 20-yards out was comfortably saved by Salvatore Sirigu. In the 32nd minute Juve took the lead, as Bernardeschi danced his way through the opposition defence, before cutting a pass back across the six yard box. Alex Sandro was on hand to simply fire the ball into the roof of the gaping goal net.

Juve came flying out the traps in the second half, zipping the ball about as they looked to build on their one goal advantage. As the derby atmosphere began to intensify, challenging started to fly in from both sides - noticeably disrupting the flow of the game. The home fan began to become frustrated, as their side were unable to show the creativity needed to grab a goal.

Bernardeschi split the Torino apart midway through the second-half, as his perfectly-weighted through ball found substitute Paulo Dybala in the penalty area. However, the tight-angle meant that the onrushing Sirigu could make a comfortable stop. Moments later, substitute M'Baye Niang dragged a shot wide for the hosts when pressurised by the defence.

Dybala started to cause the Torino defence real problems, weaving his way through their defensive set-up with ease. With the game heading into the final ten minutes, Iago Falque drew a smart stop from Szczęsny at his near post, with a long-range effort that zipped along the turf. Juventus dug in dig, keeping lacklustre opponents away from their penalty area with ease.

The visitors cruised to a comfortable win, with Torino unable to break down their opposition's stubborn defensive line. The victory will serve as an important confidence boost for Allegri's side, after their disappointing 2-2 draw with Spurs in the Champions League. I Bianconeri will now have a week to recover, before a home match against Atalanta in Serie A next Sunday.