Juventus 4 Torino 0: Dybala stars again in rampant derby victory
Paulo Dybala and Miralem Pjanic starred for Juventus as the Serie A holders cruised to a rampant Derby della Mole victory over Torino.
Paulo Dybala continued his scintillating form as his double helped Juventus thrash 10-man rivals Torino 4-0 in the first Derby della Mole of the Serie A season.
Juve's mercurial number 10 got his first 16 minutes into Saturday's encounter at the Allianz Stadium, guiding home the opener in typically composed fashion.
With Torino's misery compounded by Daniele Baselli's dismissal midway through the first half, Massimiliano Allegri's men were soon hitting their stride - Miralem Pjanic's exquisite strike doubling their tally prior to the interval.
Alex Sandro was the next to get in on the act with a powerful header early in the second half, before Dybala made it 10 goals in six league matches this season with a stoppage-time strike that put the icing on the cake.
Salvatore Sirigu had tried to keep the scoreline respectable with a string of quality saves, though it was merely a matter of damage limitation as the defending champions continued their 100 per cent start in the league.
It is a win that keeps Juve level with pace-setters Napoli at the top of Serie A and Allegri's focus will now switch to getting his side's Champions League campaign back on track against Olympiacos on Wednesday.
This guy September 23, 2017
Juve wasted no time in getting on the front foot, as Mario Mandzukic - replacing the out-of-form Gonzalo Higuain up front - was denied by Lyanco's last-ditch tackle inside 30 seconds.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
The visitors' centre-back was in the thick of the action again moments later with a slack back-pass that almost caught out Sirigu, before Juan Cuadrado went close at the culmination of a driving run from the right.
Torino threatened when a desperate block from Giorgio Chiellini prevented Iago Falque's strike reaching its target, but parity did not last much longer as the hosts took the lead.
Pjanic nipped in to rob Baselli of possession - Dybala latching onto the loose ball and proceeding to drill a low finish into the bottom-right corner from the edge of the area.
Matters went from bad to worse for Baselli and Torino just eight minutes later, the midfielder picking up his second yellow card for a ridiculous lunge on Pjanic, having earlier been booked for tugging back Dybala.
Juve did not let up, and after Lycano's goal-line clearance denied Cuadrado, the hosts had their second five minutes before the break - Pjanic curling in a sublime 20-yard strike that gave Sirigu no chance after being teed up by the Colombia international.
Pjanic turned provider for the second time 12 minutes after the restart, whipping in a wonderful corner that Alex Sandro turned home with a thumping header.
3 - Miralem Pjanic has been directly involved in each of Juventus' 3 goals: one scored, two assisted. Protagonist. September 23, 2017
Medhi Benatia should have added a fourth as Juve teased Sinisa Mihajlovic's deflated side, but Sirigu pulled off a superb stop to deny the defender from close range.
Sirigu had to be at his best again with Juve bombarding his goal, managing to keep out a flurry of attempts from substitute Federico Bernadeschi, Mandzukic and Douglas Costa.
But Torino’s goalkeeper would be beaten four a fourth time in the first minute of stoppage time, Dybala lofting in a delicate finish after connecting with a flick from Higuain, who had come off the bench, as Juve added further gloss to an emphatic victory.
'Will Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar extend their contracts in Saudi Arabia? We play a facilitating job, but it’s down to the players and the clubs to decide' Saudi Pro League chief reveals how talks will work for out-of-contract duo
Nations League: Who are the ITV commentators and pundits for England vs Republic of Ireland?