Juventus eased to their third straight Serie A victory after Moise Kean and Angel Di Maria struck in a 2-0 victory at relegation-threatened Spezia on Sunday.
Spezia sacked coach Luca Gotti in midweek and saw some improvements, yet Massimiliano Allegri's team still triumphed at Stadio Alberto Picco.
Kean's deadly 32nd-minute finish sent the visiting Juve on their way before substitute Di Maria drilled home in the second period to seal the three points.
Victory moved Juve to seventh, albeit nine points behind sixth-placed Atalanta and a place in Europe next season, while Spezia remain two above the relegation zone.
Dusan Vlahovic saw a cool finish ruled out for offside in a slow opening, while Danilo nodded narrowly wide after Spezia lost goalkeeper Bartlomiej Dragowski to an apparent hip injury.
Juve capitalised soon after as Filip Kostic's left-wing cross found Kean, who calmly swept a left-footed finish into the bottom-right corner past Federico Marchetti.
Eldor Shomurodov nodded just off target and Emmanuel Gyasi was unable to get the required touch on a bouncing ball past Mattia Perin as the struggling hosts looked to respond.
Kean headed a glorious chance from Alex Sandro's delivery wide after the interval before Danilo thwarted Shomurodov with a last-ditch block.
Di Maria, brought on for Kean, ended any hope of a Spezia fightback as he lashed low into the bottom-right corner from outside the area after 66 minutes.
Perrin produced an expert stop to deny Gyasi's ferocious effort as Juve held out for another triumph.
What does it mean? Juve continue to recover
With a Coppa Italia semi-final against Inter in April and hopes of a Europa League run, Allegri's side still have a chance of salvaging their season after their 15-point deduction last month.
Italy's top six may prove a step too far but Juve continue to recover after winning their sixth straight Serie A clash with Spezia, who have not scored at home in the league since a 2-2 draw with Atalanta on January 4.
If the Bianconeri can edge past Nantes in their Europa League play-off second leg, with the tie level at 1-1, Juve will be able to take pride in their response to the punishments.
Classy Kostic
Kostic continues to impress after signing from Eintracht Frankfurt in August, with yet another pinpoint assist coming from the left-hand side.
The Serbia international has created nine goals in all competitions this season, only Napoli's in-form Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (12) has managed more assists among Serie A players.
Defensive solidity key for Juve
Juve have kept a clean sheet in four of their six league victories over Spezia, with the defensive resilience of Allegri's men a notable factor this season.
The Bianconeri have won the most Serie A games this term without their defence being breached (14), the last time they managed more shutouts after 23 league games was in the 1977-78 campaign (16).
What's next?
Juve visit Nantes in the aforementioned European clash on Thursday, before hosting fierce rivals Torino five days later in Serie A.
Nashville SC v San Jose Earthquakes: ‘A win would change everything’ - Godoy
Anibal Godoy insists that Nashville are already looking at their game against San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday as a must-win.
Nashville have won just once in the MLS this season and sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference after a run of four without a win.
The Earthquakes, meanwhile, are bottom of the Western Conference having lost eight of their matches and recording just one win.
Godoy is aware of how their poor start to the season could affect their playoff hopes later down the line but is confident that Nashville can turn things around.
He said: “For us, it's an important week. It's a day we have to win, or we'll start to feel the pressure from other teams as they start to separate in the table.
“This league is long but if we want to get to the playoff you have to win games early on, especially at home.”
Liverpool agree compensation deal for Slot
Liverpool and Feyenoord have reached an agreement in principle over a compensation deal for Arne Slot to become the Reds’ manager next season, according to widespread Dutch media reports.
The Dutchman is reportedly poised to take over from Jurgen Klopp, who announced in January that he would be leaving the club at the end of the campaign.
Slot led Feyenoord to their second Eredivisie title last season after taking over the club in 2021.
It is believed that he topped the list of Liverpool’s favoured candidates due to his attacking playing style and ability to develop players.
Former Liverpool midfielder, Xabi Alonso, who led Bayer Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title, and Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim were also reported contenders to take over from Klopp.
Slot had already confirmed his interest in managing in the Premier League, both earlier this week and previously when he was linked to Tottenham in 2023.
QPR 4-0 Leeds United: Shock loss for Farke's men seals Leicester's promotion
QPR thrashed Leeds United 4-0 in the Championship on Friday, ensuring Leicester City booked their promotion straight back to the Premier League.
Ilias Chair was the star for the Hoops as he scored the opener and assisted two more goals to ensure QPR will stay in the Championship for another season.
Lucas Andersen, Lyndon Dykes and Sam Field also got their names on the scoresheet in an emphatic win for Marti Cifuentes' side.
Leeds' heaviest defeat of the season was a huge blow in the race for an automatic promotion spot, with Ipswich Town just one point behind them in third place with two games in hand going into their away clash against Hull City on Saturday.
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