ROME : Juventus registered their fourth consecutive win on all fronts with a morale-boosting Derby d'Italia victory on Sunday night, as they beat Inter Milan 1-0 at San Siro thanks to Filip Kostic's controversial goal.
This was a big showdown with a great deal at stake, as Inter were desperate to end their poor run while Juve were seeking to close the gap to fourth place.
The battle started in favour of the Nerazzurri, who gave the away side a hard time, but Juve took the lead in the 23rd minute when Kostic hit in a screamer after some good teamwork, a Xinhua report said.
There was a question mark over the goal as Adrien Rabiot was suspected of a handball in the build-up, but after a VAR check, the referee gave it the green light.
The two sides broke out into a row after the match, as Danilo D'Ambrosio and Leandro Paredes were both sent off.
With the win, Juve still rank seventh with 41 points, while Inter drop to third with 50.
Elsewhere, Lazio moved into second place after a slender victory in the Derby della Capitale as they beat 10-man Roma thanks to Mattia Zaccagni's angled drive.
Also on Sunday, leaders Napoli continued their sensational form as they sailed away with a 4-0 win over Torino, with Victor Osimhen bagging a brace and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Tanguy Ndombele completing the scoring.
In Sunday's other fixtures, Sampdoria conquered Hellas Verona 3-1, and Fiorentina edged Lecce 1-0.