Title-winning teams often grind out results despite not playing well - and that is precisely what Juventus is doing. Chievo Verona had won just one of its past six matches but Juventus struggled to break it down before eventually winning 2-1 on Sunday. Juventus moved five points clear of AC Milan, and seven ahead of Roma, which hosts Bologna later. Fiorentina and Inter Milan also play later, against Sampdoria and Crotone, respectively. Miralem Pjanic had struggled to fit in since transferring from Roma in the offseason but he scored what was to prove the winner for Juventus in the 75th minute with a trademark free kick into the top right corner from just outside the area. Chievo goalkeeper Stefano Sorrentino barely moved. Mario Mandzukic broke the deadlock in the 53rd, controlling Juan Cuadrado's through ball before driving across into the bottom left corner. Mandzukic almost scored a stunning goal in the first half, nodding on a long ball and flicking it over Nicolas Spolli before firing over the bar from six yards. Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was making his 600th Serie A appearance, becoming only the fourth player to reach that mark after Paolo Maldini (647), Javier Zanetti (615) - who are both retired - and Roma captain Francesco Totti (607). Buffon was decisive in the 64th to deny Lucas Castro from point-blank range, but could do nothing moments later as Sergio Pellissier converted a penalty after being tripped by Stephan Lichtsteiner. There was more bad news on the injury front for Juventus, which is already without Giorgio Chiellini. Fellow defender Andrea Barzagli was stretchered off in the fifth minute with a dislocated shoulder. PALERMO, 1 AC MILAN 2 It was the battle of the young goalkeepers in Sicily. Milan shotstopper Gianluigi Donnarumma is just 17, while Palermo counterpart Josip Posavec is 20. Their combined age is less than that of Buffon, who is 38. Posavec gifted Milan the lead in the 15th minute, colliding with his own defender as he came out to collect Mattia De Sciglio's cross and losing the ball, allowing Suso to deposit the ball into an empty net. Posavec made up for his error in the second half with three stunning saves to deny Suso each time but was beaten in the 82nd, when substitute Gianluca Lapadula cheekily backheeled Suso's long-range attempt into the bottom corner. It was the first Serie A goal for Lapadula, who had only been on the pitch three minutes. Palermo had leveled in the 71st when Ilija Nestorovski ran onto Alessandro Diamanti's through ball and drilled it into the near corner for his third goal in as many matches. PESCARA 0, EMPOLI 4 Empoli ended its goal drought in spectacular fashion, scoring double the number of goals it had netted all season, in a relegation battle at Pescara. Both teams were level on only seven points in the Serie A table. Empoli, which hadn't found the back of the net in the last eight rounds, had scored just twice all season and matched that tally within 23 minutes. Massimo Maccarone broke his own six-month goal drought following an assist from Manuel Pucciarelli and he then returned that favor. The 37-year-old Maccarone doubled his tally on the stroke of halftime and Riccardo Saponara added a fourth in the final minute. OTHER MATCHES Atalanta won 3-0 at Sassuolo to continue its impressive run of form and move level on points with fourth-placed Lazio. Alejandro Gomez, Mattia Caldara and Andrea Conti struck in the first half to help Atalanta to its sixth win in seven matches. Elsewhere, Lucas Ocampos cancelled out Cyril Thereau's opener as Genoa rallied to draw 1-1 against Udinese. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
