Juventus took a crucial step towards a first Serie A title since 2003 with a 2-0 win at Palermo to go top of the table yesterday after Milan fell to a shock 2-1 defeat at home to struggling Fiorentina.

Two weeks ago champions Milan led the table by four points but following a draw at Catania and now this defeat Antonio Conte’s Juve are a point clear.

Centre-back Leonardo Bonucci scored for the second game in a row and Fabio Quagliarella added the other in Sicily. But they were most indebted to former forward Amauri, who scored a dramatic late winnner at the San Siro.

The Brazilian-born Italy international’s goal ruined Antonio Cassano’s return to Milan first team action following heart surgery.

Amauri was frozen out by Juventus earlier this season and forced out of the club in January but the 31-year-old’s first goal for his new employers may have just handed his ex-employers the title initiative.

Not that Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri sees it that way.

“We need to accept the result in the knowledge that there are still a lot of matches left (seven) and everything is still wide open,” he said.

“It’s been a bad week with the defeat to Barcelona and this one but we have to regroup because there’s still everything to play for.”

The hosts had been gifted the opener when Matija Nastasic was harshly adjudged to have fouled Maxi Lopez in the box.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic stroked home the spot-kick and Maxi Lopez later hit the post as Milan threatened to run away with the match.

But Fiorentina stuck doggedly to their task and equalised when Lorenzo De Silvestri played Stevan Jovetic in behind the backline and the Montenegro playmaker beat goalkeeper Christian Abbiati.

Amauri struck a minute from time following a Philippe Mexes mistake, playing a one-two with Jovetic before clipping home.

Fiorentina boosted their own survival hopes, moving up two places to 15th and maintaining a five-point gap to the drop zone.

In Sicily, Juve dominated throughout and Quagliarella was wasteful in the first half when put clean through, only to shoot wide.

But Bonucci rose highest in the box to meet an Andrea Pirlo corner on 56 minutes with a flicked header that crept inside the far post. And Quagliarella sealed the win when teed up by Alessandro Matri 21 minutes from the end.

Udinese sustained their charge for a Champions League qualifying slot with a 3-1 win over Parma.

Ghana midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah scored a brace either side of captain Antonio Di Natale’s half-volley with Alessandro Lucarelli scoring for the visitors.

Lazio are still third after beating Napoli 3-1 last night but Roma’s hopes hit a bump in Puglia as they were thrashed 4-2 by lowly Lecce.

Colombian Luis Muriel and former West Ham forward Daniel Di Michele both scored a brace as third from bottom Lecce boosted their survival hopes.

Roma scored two consolation goals in the last two minutes through Bojan Krkic and Erik Lamela.

Inter played out an entertaining 2-2 draw away to Cagliari, in a match played in Trieste, 500 miles away from the hosts’ Sardinian home, due to an unplayable pitch.

The hosts twice took the lead through Daniele Astori and Mauricio Pinilla, who was sent off for his subsequent celebration, but on both occasions they were almost instantly pinned back by Argentines Diego Milito and Esteban Cambiasso.

Inter closed in on a Europa League spot as they now trail Roma by just two points.

Serie A

Atalanta 1
Schelotto 9;
Siena 2
Larrondo 13 pen; Destro 90;

HT: 1-1. Att: 15,500.

Cagliari 2
Astori 5; Pinilla 61;
Inter 2
Milito 6; Cambiasso 64;

HT: 1-1. Att: 19,000.
Red card: Pinilla (C) 63.

Cesena 0
Bologna 0

Att: 16,497.

Chievo 3
Bradley 6; Pellisier 20 pen; Paloschi 51;
Catania 2
Andreolli 32 og; Almiron 85;

HT: 2-1. Att: 8,000.
Red card: Spolli (CTN) 18.

Lazio 3
Candreva 9; Mauri 68; Ledesma 81p.
Napoli 1
Pandev 34;

HT: 1-1. Att: 35,000.

Lecce 4
Muriel 22, 49; Di Michele 45, 55p;
Roma 2
Krkic 88; Lamela 89;

HT: 2-0. Att: 12,600.

Milan 1
Ibrahimovic 31p;
Fiorentina 2
Jovetic 47; Amauri 89;

HT: 1-0. Att: 58,646.

Novara 1
Mascara 68;
Genoa 1
M. Rossi 7;

HT: 0-1. Att: 10,066.
Red card: Caracciolo (N) 87.

Palermo 0
Juventus 2
Bonucci 56; Quagliarella 69;

HT: 0-0. Att: 28,941.

Udinese 3
Asamoah 45, 90; Di Natale 56;
Parma 1
Lucarelli 85;

HT: 1-0. Att: 13,000.

	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Juventus	31	17	14	0	51	17	65
Milan	31	19	7	5	61	26	64
Lazio	31	16	6	9	47	38	54
Udinese	31	14	9	8	43	29	51
Napoli	31	12	12	7	55	38	48
Roma	31	14	5	12	49	41	47
Inter	31	13	6	12	45	44	45
Catania	31	10	13	8	41	41	43
Chievo	31	11	9	11	30	39	42
Siena	31	10	9	12	36	32	39
Palermo	31	11	6	14	44	49	39
Cagliari	31	9	11	11	33	38	38
Atalanta	31	10	13	8	34	33	37
Bologna	31	9	10	12	32	38	37
Fiorentina	31	9	9	13	32	38	36
Parma	31	8	11	12	39	50	35
Genoa	31	9	8	14	42	57	35
Lecce	31	7	10	14	35	47	31
Novara	31	5	10	16	27	52	25
Cesena	31	4	8	19	18	47	20

Next fixtures
Tuesday: 20.45 Chievo vs Milan.
Wednesday: 20.45 Catania vs Lecce; Fiorentina vs Palermo; Genoa vs Cesena; Inter vs Siena; Juve vs Lazio; Napoli vs Atalanta; Parma vs Novara; Roma vs Udinese.
Thursday: 20.45 Bologna vs Cagliari.

Top scorers
23 goals: Ibrahimovic (Milan).
20 goals: Di Natale (Udinese).
19 goals: Cavani (Napoli).
18 goals: Milito (Inter).