Milan, Paris: Premier League target Leonardo Bonucci scored an impressive goal as Juventus moved 11 points clear at the top of Serie A with a comprehensive 4-0 win over Genoa on Sunday.
Bonucci, a former target for Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, has been linked in recent days with a big-money move to Manchester City.
And the Italy centre-back underlined his all-round class with a great finish in the 64th minute of a one-sided encounter in Turin that saw Massimiliano Allegri’s men take another step towards a record sixth consecutive ‘scudetto’.
Genoa had stunned Juventus 3-1 at the Luigi Ferraris last September.
But days after holding Barcelona to a scoreless draw to advance to the semi-finals of the Champions League 3-0 on aggregate, Juve were never likely to buckle.
A bright start saw the hosts in front by 17 minutes, when Ezequiel Munoz scored an own goal past his own ‘keeper Eugenio Lamanna after Claudio Marchisio had got the slightest of touches to Gonzalo Higuain’s delivery in deep from midfield.
But if Genoa’s fans were aggrieved, they could have little argument two minutes later.
Paolo Dybala, the architect of Juve’s quarter-final tie against Barcelona — when he scored a first-leg brace — turned on the class to beat Lamanna with a crisp shot from the edge of the area.
When Mario Mandzukic picked up his own rebound four minutes before the interval, the Croatian striker pounced from the left of the area to curl a superb shot past the outstretched hands of Lamanna at the far post.
Bonucci had the ball in the net 10 minutes after the restart when he volleyed home a Dybala free kick at the far post, although it was ruled out for a Mandzukic foul.
Barely 10 minutes later, Genoa’s defence stood off as Bonucci burst through to hit a shot that appeared to take a slight deflection before looping over Lamanna from 20 yards out.
“It was a good performance in both attacking and defensive terms,” Allegri told Mediaset Premium.
“Coming a few days after Barcelona, we could have suffered a dip. But the lads really kept their level high.
“I don’t want to talk about the scudetto, because mathematically nothing’s guaranteed. Today we simply had to go out and win.”
Teenage sensation Kylian Mbappe, meanwhile, produced another stylish winning goal as Monaco climbed back to the top of Ligue 1 with a 2-1 victory at Lyon on Sunday.
A seventh straight league win leaves Monaco level with Paris Saint Germain on 80 points, but with a game in hand on the champions and a far superior goal difference.
PSG had climbed provisionally top for the very first time this season after their own 2-0 win over Montpellier on Saturday, serving a challenge that the Champions League semi-finalists Monaco rose to with gusto in Lyon.
Colombian striker Radamel Falcao pounced on a loose ball for his 19th league goal of the campaign to break the deadlock in the 31st minute of a frantic first-half.
The opener came straight after Memphis Depay had fluffed a chance to give the hosts the lead as the Europa League semi-finalists threw everything at Monaco.
Battling midfielder Bernardo Silva then hit the crossbar for Monaco as they flooded forward and the hosts hardly had time to breathe before the outstanding Mbappe made it 2-0.
With a brilliantly timed run into the box, the 18-year-old’s slick flick rounded off another lightning break from Leonardo Jardim’s side, for whom the striker has emerged, mainly in the second half of the campaign, with 13 league goals so far.
