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Juventus saw off Genoa 3-1 at the Allianz Stadium to secure back-to-back wins in the 2020-21 Serie A.
Dejan Kulusevski, Alvaro Morata and Weston McKennie scored for the hosts, while Gianluca Scamacca pulled one back for the Griffins in the second half.
Even though hopes of a tenth consecutive league title are fast receding, the Bianconeri made it clear they won't give up without a fight, racing to a 2-0 lead inside the opening 22 minutes.
The visitors looked like they were in for a long night but slowly crawled their way back into the game and halved the deficit four minutes after the restart.
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However, a comeback didn't seem on the cards, as Genoa failed to build on Scamacca's goal. They conceded a third in the 70th minute as Weston McKennie put the game beyond doubt.
Despite the win, Juventus remain 12 points adrift of runaway league leaders Inter Milan, who beat Cagliari earlier in the day.
On that note, let's have a look at the five major talking points of the game:
#1 Juventus' fast start catches Genoa by surprise
Buoyed by their hard-fought victory against Napoli in midweek, Juventus came flying out of the blocks against Genoa.
It took the Bianconeri just four minutes to break the deadlock when some smooth work from Juan Cuadrado culminated with Dejan Kulusevski slotting home a lovely finish. That gave Andrea Pirlo's men some early impetus, which they sought to build upon.
Juventus hounded Genoa for the ball with terrier-like intensity, forcing the visitors into giving up possession before hitting them on the break.
One such moment saw Federico Chiesa race clear into the area. Following a goal-mouth scramble, Morata fired into an unguarded net from distance.
Juventus were two for the good within the opening 22 minutes of the game and didn't look likely to lose the game from there.
#2 Genoa fail to take their chances
Either side of Scamacca's goal, Genoa missed two excellent chances.
In the final moments of the first half, the striker himself was guilty of wasting an opportunity when he fired straight at Wojciech Szczesny after brilliantly getting in behind the Juventus defence.
Even though he atoned for that miss with a goal early in the second half, the Griffins saw another chance go begging just minutes later.
Former Juventus winger Marko Pjaca demonstrated neat footwork to escape his marker but couldn't keep his shot down, firing wastefully over with the goal gaping.
#3 Cristiano Ronaldo has a modest outing
Juventus striker Cristiano Ronaldo is inching closer to his first Golden Boot in Serie A, having struck four more goals than anyone else in the division.
However, the prolific no. 7, who has struck 25 times this campaign, drew a blank against Genoa.
Ronaldo started alongside Morata in a two-pronged Juventus attack but was seen working mostly from the wings, with the Spaniard operating through the middle.
Yet, the former Real Madrid ace mustered six efforts at goal. Two of them were on target and one came back off the post as a goal eluded Ronaldo on the night.
Ronaldo has scored six times in five previous Serie A games against Genoa, but it was not to be for the Portugal captain on Sunday.
#4 Nicolo Rovella impresses in Juventus audition
In January, it was confirmed that Nicolo Rovella would join Juventus in the summer as the club seek to bolster their midfield.
In his first match against the Bianconeri since then, Rovella gave a glimpse of what could be in store ahead. He shouldered the creative mantle of Genoa and caused Juventus a few problems with his impressive passing range.
Nicolo Rovella, still only 19, was outpaced by Juan Cuadrado on several occasions, showing that he's still rough around the edges, but the former assisted Scamacca with a lovely corner-kick.
He's not yet a finished article but has the potential to develop into a star if he ends up in Turin next season.
#5 Juventus' title hopes slipping away despite late fightback
Until the draw against Torino at the start of the month, Juventus appeared to be struggling to even qualify for the Champions League.
However, back-to-back wins in the immediate aftermath of that have calmed their frayed nerves. The holders, who are three points clear of Napoli, look set to secure European football again.
In both their recent victories - against the Partenopei on Wednesday and Genoa on Sunday - the Bianconeri comprehensively outclassed their opponents and played looked like champions again.
After a spate of disappointing results in recent weeks, this was a much-needed run of results for the embattled manager Andrea Pirlo, whose job is safe for now.
However, the Bianconeri's fightback has come too late. Even if they win all their games from here on, it's unlikely they'll overhaul their 12-point deficit on Inter.
On the bright side, Juventus are shaping up well for their Coppa Italia final clash against Atalanta.
