Serie A | Juventus 3-0 Sassuolo: Vlahovic at the double

Dusan Vlahovic scored two fantastic goals and Federico Chiesa helped give Juventus revenge over Sassuolo, keeping the gap at the top to just two points from leaders Inter.

The Bianconeri had Weston McKennie and Federico Gatti suspended, Moise Kean and Mattia De Sciglio injured, but Adrien Rabiot returned after missing the Coppa Italia with a slight thigh issue. Sassuolo missed Gregoire Defrel, Matias Vina, Jeremy Toljan, Agustin Alvarez and Pedro Obiang, but were fresh from a win over Fiorentina and beat Juve 4-2 back in September.

It took just 15 minutes to break the deadlock, as Manuel Locatelli intercepted in midfield and Kenan Yildiz found Dusan Vlahovic outside the box to bend a fantastic finish into the far top corner with his left boot.

Armand Lauriente only prodded the finish at Wojciech Szczesny rather than give Domenico Berardi a return pass, but made up for it soon after with a ferocious strike that bounced right in front of the goalkeeper, making it a tough save.

Gian Marco Ferrari charged down the Yildiz strike, but Vlahovic doubled their lead with a sensational free kick into the near top corner that surprised Consigli, bending back his fingertips.

The goalkeeper smothered a Rabiot daisy-cutter, while Filip Kostic risked an own goal with an interception and Berardi drilled not far wide from the edge of the area.

Szczesny somehow managed to parry a Berardi scorcher with one hand after a rapid counter-attack from a Juventus corner, a save made all the more difficult by a big deflection off Danilo.

Timothy Weah should’ve made it 3-0 on 75 minutes, but shinned it first-time into the stands after a Federico Chiesa lay-off.

Instead, Chiesa got the third when Arkadiusz Milik won it back in midfield and Manuel Locatelli found the former Fiorentina man to surprise Consigli at the near post.

Juventus 3-0 Sassuolo

Vlahovic 15, 37 (J), Chiesa 89 (J)