Juventus returned to the Serie A summit after maintaining their unbeaten record with a dominant display to beat 10-man Catania 3-1 at home.
Title contenders come from behind to see off Catania
Juventus returned to the Serie A summit after maintaining their unbeaten record with a dominant display to beat 10-man Catania 3-1 at home.
Catania had taken a shock early lead through Pablo Barrientos before veteran midfielder Andrea Pirlo equalised midway through the first half.
The title hopefuls were twice denied by the crossbar but, after Catania's Mario Motta was sent off on 65 minutes, finally took their chances following goals from Giorgio Chiellini and Fabio Quagliarella.
Sergio Almiron warned Juventus that Catania were not just in town to make up the numbers with a dangerous shot in the third minute.
A minute later, the Sicilians led with Barrientos turning past Pirlo on the edge of the penalty area and sending a shot curling beyond the reach of Gianluigi Buffon into the far corner.
Marco Borriello, given a chance to impress in the Juve starting XI, headed straight at Tomas Kosicky in the 16th minute before Mariano Izco made a goal-line clearance minutes later as the Bianconeri searched for an equaliser.
They found it in the 22nd minute with Pirlo curling a direct free-kick round the wall and into the side of the goal left unguarded by Kosicky.
Quagliarella hit the crossbar in the 30th minute with Gonzalo Bergessio replicating at the other end two minutes later.
Pirlo was next to strike the woodwork with his free-kick dipping and just grazing the crossbar early in the second half.
Former Juve defender Motta was shown a second yellow card in the 65th minute, and with Catania reduced to 10 men, the hosts dropped anchor in their half of the field.
It was only a matter of time before they scored and, although Almiron wasted a good chance when he shot straight at Buffon, there was to be no further threat to the Juve goal.
They took the lead just 10 minutes after Motta's dismissal with Chiellini winning a wrestling match with Bergessio at the far post to head Pirlo's free-kick in.
Quagliarella then put the result beyond doubt in the 81st minute. Kosicky made a poor clearance which Pirlo played into the path of Quagliarella, whose shot struck the Catania goalkeeper's hand, but the ball still looped into the goal.
