Juve back on track with 3-0 win over Siena

Juventus maintained their three-point lead over Milan at the top of Serie A when they brushed aside Siena 3-0 yesterday.

Three goals in the opening eight minutes by Patrick Vieira, David Trezeguet and Adrian Mutu killed the contest and ended a poor run of form for the Italian champions who had drawn their previous five matches.

The result gave Juventus 82 points with two games remaining. Milan beat Livorno 2-0 thanks to a brace by Filippo Inzaghi. Inter remained a distant third on 74 points after a Marco Materazzi own goal cost them a 1-0 defeat at Empoli.

Having come in for heavy criticism for their recent, stuttering performances, Juventus finally gave a display that suggested they will not relinquish their scudetto.

Vieira opened the scoring after three minutes, heading home from a corner.

Trezeguet's precise finish from the edge of the area and Mutu's goal on the break as Siena's shellshocked defence backed off left Juve needing four points from the final two games against Palermo and Reggina to wrap up their 29th title.

Milan will push them all the way.

At the San Siro, Carlo Ancelotti's side put their midweek elimination from the Champions League by Barcelona behind them with a comfortable win over Livorno.

Inzaghi wasted an early chance when he failed to make contact with a ball that rolled across the face of the goal, but made up for his mistake just before the half hour by volleying Marek Jankulovski's cross past keeper Marco Amelia.

Livorno rarely looked capable of equalising, and in the 66th minute Inzaghi struck again, turning in Andriy Shevchenko's cross from the edge of the box.

With little to play for in the league, third-placed Inter seemed to have their minds on Wednesday's Italian Cup final first leg against Roma as they lost a drab encounter with Empoli.

The match was decided in the first minute of stoppage time, when Materazzi lofted a back pass over the head of his own keeper and into the net.

Fiorentina clung on to the fourth and final Champions League berth on 68 points despite losing 1-0 at Palermo.

Fiorentina created a series of chances but the closest they came to scoring was when Luca Toni headed against the bar at the end of the first half. Their inability to hit the target was punished in the 53rd minute when Franco Brienza slid a neat pass through the defence for David Di Michele to slip past goalie Bogdan Lobont.

Roma, fifth on 66 points, could have gone fourth themselves, but squandered a two-goal lead and missed a penalty in a 4-4 draw with Chievo.

Messina relegated

At the other end of the table, Messina became the third club, following Treviso and Lecce, to be relegated to Serie B after second-half goals by Francesco Cozza, Rolando Bianchi and a Nicola Amoruso penalty condemned them to defeat against Reggina.

Top Scorers

28 goals Toni (Fiorentina)
22 goals Trezeguet (Juventus)
21 goals Suazo (Cagliari)
19 goals Shevchenko (Milan), Lucarelli (Livorno)
18 goals Tavano (Empoli)
17 goals Gilardino (Milan)
15 goals Totti (Roma)

Next Fixtures

Sunday - 3 p.m.: Ascoli vs Lazio (1-4); Fiorentina vs Reggina (1-1); Inter vs Siena (0-0); Juventus vs Palermo (2-1); Lecce vs Chievo (1-3); Livorno vs Sampdoria (2-0); Messina vs Empoli (3-1); Parma vs Milan (3-4); Roma vs Treviso (0-1); Udinese vs Cagliari (1-2).