The Bianconeri saw their superb 49-game unbeaten run come to an end after a second-half Inter revival clinched all three points from a typically feisty ‘Derby d’Italia’.
All appeared to be going to plan when Arturo Vidal grabbed the hosts the advantage inside the opening minute, but Inter emerged as a different prospect in the second period and put Juventus to the sword with a Milito double and Palacio’s 90th minute strike.
With the luxury of a near fully fit squad at his disposal, Antonio Conte restored Chiellini, Lichtsteiner, Marchisio, Vidal, Asamoah, Vucinic and Giovinco to the starting line-up, with Wednesday night’s goal heroes Quagliarella and Pogba dropping down to the bench.
Juventus set about their opposition at an electrifying pace and took the lead within the opening 18 seconds. After advancing forward from the left-hand side, Asamoah fizzed a cross-cum-shot across the area which left Vidal with the simple task of tapping the ball home following a trademark burst from midfield.
Never content with a single goal lead, Conte’s men swarmed forward in search of further joy. Pirlo and Marchisio combined to good effect twice in quick succession, but the attacking midfielder found Handanovic equal to his volleyed attempts on both occasions.
Stramaccioni’s charges – aiming for their first win on Piedmont soil since a Coppa Italia quarter-final success in January 2008 – edged themselves back into the affair as the first-half wore on, going close through long-range attempts from Cambiasso and Cassano.
With the clock clicking down towards half-time, Vidal almost doubled his tally but saw Handanovic get down smartly to keep his low effort at bay.
Having introduced Caceres in place of Lichtsteiner towards the end of the first period, Alessio made his second change at the start of the second half, handing Bendtner his fourth appearance in the black and white stripes at the expense of Vucinic.
Despite the Bianconeri looking sharper in attack, it was a defender – Leonardo Bonucci – who produced the first noteworthy effort on goal, gliding past several opponents as he marauded forward from the back. His firmly-struck shot, however, was well saved by Handanovic.
The turning point of the match came in the 58 minute, when Tagliavento adjudged Marchisio to have impeded Milito in the penalty area. The Argentine striker dusted himself down to blast an unstoppable penalty past Buffon’s despairing dive.
Stramaccioni’s reaction to the equaliser was to firm up the Nerazzurri midfield, sacrificing Cassano for Guarin. And the Rome-born tactician saw his change pay off when Guarin was played in on the counter and stung Buffon’s fingertips with a strong effort across goal, leaving Milito with a straightforward finish from ten yards out.
Alessio’s response was instant, sending on Quagliarella in place of Caceres to increase the Bianconeri’s attacking potency. Bendtner went close to getting the hosts back on level terms when his chip from an acute angle almost caught Handanovic off guard, while Quagliarella’s rasping left-footed shot from distance was a whisker away from hitting the target.
But with Juventus throwing everything at the Nerazzurri, Palacio dealt Conte’s men a sucker punch with a classic goal on the counter to take all three points back to the San Siro.
JUVENTUS 1-3 INTER
GOALS: Vidal 1, Milito 59 (pen), Milito 75, Palacio 90
JUVENTUS
Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichtsteiner (Caceres 37, Quagliarella 78), Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio, Asamoah; Giovinco, Vucinic (Bendtner 46).
Substitutes not used: Storari, Marrone, Lucio, Isla, De Ceglie, Pogba, Padoin, Giaccherini, Matri, Quagliarella.
Coach: Alessio
INTER
Handanovic; Ranocchia, Samuel, Juan Jesus; Zanetti, Gargano, Cambiasso, Nagatomo; Cassano (Guarin 69), Milito (Mudingayi 80), Palacio.
Substitutes not used: Castellacci, Belec, Mbaye, Pereira, Silvestre, Alvarez, Alfred, Livaja.
Coach: Stramaccioni
REFEREE: Tagliavento
ASSISTANTS: Preti, Marzaloni
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Barbirati
BOOKINGS: Lichtsteiner 30, Samuel 33, Pirlo 48, Chiellini 51, Bonucci 62, Zanetti 85
Source: Juventus.com
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