Bonucci solo goal caps crushing Juve win over Genoa
By Brian Homewood
(Reuters) - Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci scored a sublime solo goal as they crushed Genoa 4-0 on Sunday to claim a 33rd straight home league win and move closer to a sixth successive Serie A title.
Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic also scored for treble-chasing Juve, who never looked back after Genoa defender Ezequiel Munoz gifted them the lead with an own goal.
Substitute Arkadiusz Milik rescued a 2-2 draw for third-placed Napoli after a topsy-turvy second half at Sassuolo where they led 1-0, gifted an equaliser and then hit the woodwork twice.
Lazio's Keita Balde Diao scored a six-minute hat-trick as they hit five goals in the first half-hour on the way to a 6-2 demolition of sorry Palermo and AC Milan suffered a shock 2-1 home defeat by lowly Empoli.
Sampdoria's Patrik Schick provided another highlight with a superb effort against Crotone when he flicked the ball up and turned past two defenders, ran on and scored with a clinical finish. However the visitors hit back to win 2-1.
Juventus, who have 83 points from 33 games, moved 11 clear of AS Roma who visit basement club Pescara on Monday.
Napoli are a further point behind in the Champions League playoff-round spot on 71 points, with Lazio fourth while Milan, despite their slip-up, stayed sixth on 58 points in the last Europa League place two points above city rivals Inter.
EARLY TROUBLE
Struggling Genoa were quickly in trouble at Juventus when home striker Gonzalo Higuain's chipped pass bounced off Munoz's shin and into the net in the 17th minute.
A minute later, Dybala played a one-two with Sami Khedira and sent an unstoppable shot past goalkeeper Eugenio Lamanna for the second while Mandzukic added the third with a brilliant side-footed volley five minutes before halftime.
Not be outdone, Bonucci collected the ball in the centre circle, burst through the Genoa midfield and scored with a vicious, dipping shot from outside the penalty area in the 64th.
Napoli went ahead when Dries Mertens headed in from Jose Callejon's cross in the 52nd minute to delight the army of shirtless visiting fans behind the goal.
A mistake by Napoli's usually inspirational captain Marek Hamsik allowed Sassuolo to level seven minutes later when Domenico Berardi intercepted the Slovakian's headed back pass and fired past Pepe Reina.
Mertens smacked a free kick against the crossbar and Lorenzo Insigne hit the inside of the post before Sassuolo sneaked a second goal in the 80th minute, Luca Mazzitelli firing home after Napoli failed to clear the ball.
Milik was brought on and equalised within three minutes when he hooked in from close range with Sassuolo claiming offside.
FLYING START
Ciro Immobile got Lazio off to a flying start with goals in the eighth and 10th minutes before Keita sprang into action.
The Senegal international played a one-two with Immobile to score in the 21st minute, then converted a penalty and finally chipped his third over Josip Posavec after a clever Immobile backheel in the 26th minute.
Andrea Rispoli replied twice in the second half before Luca Crecco added Lazio's sixth.
Leven Mchedlidze headed Empoli in front against Milan five minutes before halftime and Mame Thiam added the second goal in the 67th minute.
In between, Empoli goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski saved a weak Suso penalty and also managed to block Gianluca Lapadula's effort from the rebound.
Lapadula pulled one back but could not prevent Empoli's third win in 24 Serie A meetings with Milan.
Empoli stayed 17th in the 20-team table with 29 points and have a five-point cushion protecting them from the relegation zone.
Crotone, who have 24 points, beat Sampdoria 2-1 and are the only team with a realistic chance of overtaking the Tuscan side although they are running out of games.
Palermo have 16 points and Pescara 14, both almost certainly doomed to the drop.
(Writing by Brian Homewood in Berne, editing by Clare Fallon and Ken Ferris)