Serie A leaders Juventus eked out a 1-0 victory away against Palermo to increase their lead at the Serie A summit to four points, while Inter Milan beat Napoli 2-1 to leapfrog Walter Mazzarri’s men into second.
Juve had suspended coach Antonio Conte back on the sideline for the first time this season as his suspension in the match-fixing scandal has ended. And Conte saw his side struggle to break down a game Palermo side, with the Juve not coming until shortly after half-time, when marauding wing-back Stephan Lichtsteiner latched onto Mirko Vučinić’s delightful back-heel and gave Samir Ujkani no chance with his finish.
The Bianconeri are now four points ahead of Inter, who moved up to second with a 2-1 defeat of Napoli at San Siro. Freddy Guarín provided the ideal start and Diego Milito doubled the hosts’ lead before the break. Inter have done a good job this season in the big games, beating Juventus, Milan, Napoli and Fiorentina. But Andrea Stramaccioni’s side has to do a better job focusing in games against the teams in the lower half of the season if they are to challenge Juventus for the title.
Elsewhere, Robinho’s fine finish and Stephan El Shaarawy’s 13th Serie A goal helped AC Milan maintain their purple patch, as the Rossoneri beat Torino 4-2 for a third straight league win.
Catania climbed to eighth, a place behind Milan, after winning 3-1 at bottom club Siena, Pescara moved above Genoa into 18th with a 2-0 defeat of the Sampdoria side, and Chievo Verona won 2-0 at Cagliari.
