Rising teenage star Moise Kean stepped up in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo to rescue a 1-0 win for Juventus against lowly Empoli on Saturday as the champions opened up an 18-point lead at the top of Serie A.

The 19-year-old, who burst into the limelight during Italy's opening Euro 2020 qualifiers came on as a substitute in Turin and three minutes later scored his third league goal of the season after his double against Udinese earlier this month.

The seven-time defending champions struggled to break down the Tuscans who were targeting a second straight win under new coach Aurelio Andreazzoli.

Empoli dug deep, allowing the hosts few opportunities, with Polish goalkeeper Bartlomiej Dragowski denying a Mandzukic header to the frustration of the home crowd.

Kean replaced Blaise Matuidi in the 68th minute and had an immediate impact, latching onto Mandzukic's knock-down.

Ten minutes later, the teenager was denied a second, with a desperate one-handed save by Dragowski giving Empoli hope.

The Tuscany side remain one point above the relegation zone.

"It's never easy after the break for international duty and it was good that we won like this, 1-0 with a struggle to get the points," said Allegri.