Leonardo Bonucci marked his 35th birthday with two goals as Juventus made hard work of a 2-1 win over bottom side Venezia to all but secure a top-four finish in Serie A.
The Bianconeri had taken just one point from their previous two matches at the Allianz Stadium but did enough to claim victory against Venezia, who have now lost nine in a row.
Full debutant Fabio Miretti played a big part in Bonucci's headed opener inside seven minutes, but Juve were pegged back through a Mattia Aramu strike 19 minutes from time.
However, Bonucci bundled in a late winner to ensure that his side now require just two points from their remaining three games to keep Roma at bay in the battle for fourth.
Juve nearly opened the scoring four minutes in when Luca Pellegrini fired a ferocious strike against the crossbar from range.
The hosts did not have to wait much longer for their breakthrough, though, as Matthijs de Ligt nodded Miretti's delivery back across goal for Bonucci to turn in from close range.
Venezia, who sacked Pablo Zanetti this week and placed Andrea Soncin in temporary charge, took full advantage of Juve's failure to kill off the match through Aramu's long-ranger.
That had Venezia on course for successive 1-1 draws against Juve, only for the Bianconeri to snatch all three points when a corner was not dealt with and went in off Bonucci's shin.
What does it mean? A return to home comforts for Juve – just!
Juve have picked up more points on their travels (35) than they have at home this season (34 with this win) and this was another occasion in which they never truly got going.
Massimiliano Allegri's side have lost just one of their past 21 league games overall and also have a Coppa Italia final with Inter to look forward to later this month.
The immediate priority is nailing down fourth place and, barring a miraculous collapse over their remaining three games, that is as good as achieved.
Leonardo leads the way
Bonucci has now scored five Serie A goals for Juventus this season, which is his best tally in a single campaign.
The veteran Italy international has equalled team-mate Giorgio Chiellini as the defender to have found the net in the most years in the competition since 2000 (13).
Mattia makes his mark
Aramu had gone 14 matches between finding the net in Serie A, with his most recent strike prior to today coming in December's draw with Juventus.
The 26-year-old was Venezia's sole attacking spark, registering all three of his side's attempts on target, including that impressive effort from range.
What's next?
Juventus are back in action on Friday with a trip to Genoa, while Venezia travel to fellow strugglers Salernitana on Thursday.
Maresca: Chelsea must cut their squad
Enzo Maresca says that Chelsea's main aim is to offload players as the end of the transfer window draws closer.
The Blues have made 12 signings so far and are the highest spenders in the Premier League.
On Tuesday, they added goalkeeper Mike Penders to their ranks from Genk for a reported €20million on an eight-year contract.
Penders has made just two senior appearances for the Belgian side, both of which came last month, and the 19-year-old will spend the rest of the season on loan with the Belgian side.
Chelsea currently have over 40 players in their squad, with England internationals Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell among a group of 15 currently training away from the first team.
The club's desire to sell players has been well-documented to avoid falling foul of the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules, and Maresca says they are prioritising the outgoings this week.
"The target is to solve the economic problem in terms of selling players," Maresca told the club website. "From there, we try to do our best and see where we arrive.
"For us, the target in this moment is to improve players. No one from the club asked me to compete for the Premier League or compete for a Champions League spot.
"I want to see my team play the way we want to play and compete every game. I want to see on the ball a clear idea of what they want, and off the ball, a very aggressive team. The most important thing is to be better game after game."
Kepa Arrizabalaga is believed to be the next player out of the door at Chelsea, with a medical set at Bournemouth ahead of a potential season-long loan.
However, Chelsea are still being linked with players, with Jadon Sancho and Ivan Toney reportedly of interest to the London club.
Szczesny announces retirement following Juventus exit
Former Juventus and Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has announced his retirement from football.
He won 11 major trophies during his career in England and Italy, and earned 84 caps for Poland, playing in seven major tournaments for his country.
Szczesny agreed to mutually terminate his contract with Juventus earlier this month after a breakdown in negotiations over a move to Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr.
The goalkeeper joined Arsenal as a 16-year-old in 2006, making 181 first-team appearances and winning two FA Cups in 2014 and 2015.
After spending two seasons on loan at Roma, he then joined Juventus in 2017, winning eight major trophies, including three Serie A titles.
Since making his Serie A debut, the Pole made the fifth most saves in the league (among goalkeepers to play at least 50 games), making 481, while he also had the fifth-best save percentage in that time – 72.55%.
Only two goalkeepers in Serie A bettered Szczesny's 200 league appearances since his debut, though he conceded considerably fewer goals (179) than both Andrea Consigli (411) and Lukasz Skorupski (301) during that time.
In a post on Instagram, Szczesny announced his retirement, claiming his heart was no longer in the game.
"I left Warsaw, my hometown in June of 2006 to join Arsenal with one dream – to make a living out of football," he said. "Little did I know it would be a start of a journey of a lifetime. Little did I know that I would get to play for the biggest clubs in the world and represent my country 84 times.
"Little did I know that not only would I make a living out of the game, but the game would become my whole life. I didn't just realise my dreams; I've arrived where my imagination wouldn't even dare to take me.
"Everything that I have and everything that I am I owe to the beautiful game of football… But I also gave the game all I had. I gave the game 18 years of my life, every day, without excuses.
"Today, my body still feels ready for challenges, my heart is not there anymore. I feel that right now it is time to give all of my attention to my family. Therefore, I have decided to retire from professional football."
Iling-Junior joins Bologna on season-long loan
Samuel Iling-Junior has joined Bologna on a season-long loan from Aston Villa.
The 20-year-old joined the Villans at the start of July as part of a double transfer from Juventus with Enzo Barrenechea for a combined £18.6million.
However, he has not featured in either of Villa's matchday squads since the start of the Premier League season, with Leon Bailey and Morgan Rogers preferred in the wide areas.
Iling-Junior made 27 appearances for Juventus in all competitions last season, scoring once and registering two assists, helping the club to win the Coppa Italia in May.
Bologna are yet to win this season in Serie A, drawing with Udinese and losing to Napoli, but are set to compete in the Champions League, having qualified for the tournament for the first time since 1964.
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