Maurizio Sarri rested Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus earned their first win in three matches, with Paulo Dybala and Juan Cuadrado on target.
Match Report
Paulo Dybala scored his sixth Serie A goal of the season and Juan Cuadrado was also on target as Juventus earned a 2-0 victory over 10-man Brescia that moved the Bianconeri top of Serie A ahead of Inter's evening kick-off at Lazio.
With in-form Cristiano Ronaldo rested by head coach Maurizio Sarri, Argentina international Dybala provided the firepower the champions needed from a first-half free-kick after Brescia forward Florian Aye was sent off.
Sarri's men were guilty of wasteful finishing against their 19th-placed visitors, who might have ground out a point towards their battle against relegation had they kept 11 men on the field, but Cuadrado kept his cool to double their lead after 75 minutes.
It was far from a vintage performance, but two goals proved enough to earn Juve a first win in three matches and relieve some of the pressure mounting around Sarri's position.
Serie A standing
Match Events
10' Injured Alfonso replaced by Andrenacci
Bentancur sends a dangerous low ball across the face of goal. It's a pinpoint delivery, forcing Alfonso to push the ball away from danger
Alfonso cannot continue after his knock to the head and is replaced by Andrenacci.
20' Balotelli's free kick over the bar
Balotelli lines up the strike and then stops and gestures to the referee that the Juve players are not 10 yards away in the wall. The official tells him to continue with the free-kick. Eventually Balotelli curls his strike towards goal, but clips his effort over the bar.
32' CLOSE! Dybala's shot wide out
Higuain turns his way past Mateju in the box and cuts the ball back for Dybala to strike 10 yards from goal.
The target is wide open for the Argentine, but he scuffs his right-footed strike wide of the right post. A poor miss from the Juve forward.
37' Second Yellow Card! Aye sent off
Aye blocks off the run of Ramsey on the edge of the box from Higuain's cutback.
The forward receives his second yellow card and then his marching orders from the referee.
38' GOAL! Juventus 1-0 Brescia (Dybala)
The Argentine curls a sublime strike home from a free-kick on the edge of the box, leaving Andrenacci rooted to the spot.
He lines up the shot on his left foot and bends his effort over the wall to leave Andrenacci unsighted, and the Brescia keeper can only watch it travel into the top-left corner.
44' CLOSE! Rugani's header stopped
Andrenacci denies Juve a second just before the break.
Dybala sends a cross into the box from the left flank and Rugani connects with a header towards the top-right corner.
However, Andrenacci gets across to tip it on to the bar and out before Martella clears the danger.
48' Higuain's shot blocked
Higuain twists and turns in the right inside channel to carve out space to strike at goal. He drills his effort past Andrenacci, but Sabelli on the line flicks it away to safety.
49' Bonucci's header too straight
Dybala whips a corner into the box and Bonucci has a free header from six yards, but he can only head his effort straight at Andrenacci.
64' Dybala's free kick over the bar
Dybala goes for goal with his effort from the free-kick, but he can only curl his effort over the bar. There is no magic from the Argentine on this occasion.
67' Dybala misses a great chance!
Dybala has the ball on a string as he weaves his way through the Brescia defence, shifting the ball from the right flank to the middle of the area.
However, he sees his left-footed strike blocked by the face of Bjarnason, who takes a blow for the visitors' cause.
75' GOAL! Juventus 2-0 Brescia (Cuadrado)
Relief for the home side as Cuadrado notches their second goal of the afternoon. Cuadrado runs at the Brescia defence down the left flank and plays a one-two with Matuidi in the box.
The Frenchman releases his team-mate with a neat flick. Cuadrado takes it in stride and dispatches a low strike past Andrenacci into the bottom-left corner.
77' CLOSE! Bentancur hits the post
Bentancur is afforded space and time to fire at goal from distance. He connects with his strike and it speeds towards the target.
However, it clips the outside of the left post and travels behind for a goal-kick.
78' Captain is back! Chiellini replaces Bonucci
Chiellini makes his long-awaited return from a knee injury to replace Bonucci in the Juve backline.
81' OFFSIDE! Higuain’s goal disallowed
Dybala bends a free-kick into the box from the left flank and Higuain rises to head the ball home at the back post with a cushioned header. However, his celebrations are short-lived as the flag is up for offside.
Player Ratings
Source: m.allfootballapp.com