Carlos Tevez's goal gives Juventus victory over Empoli

Marco Bertorello/AFP/Getty Images

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A fourth straight Serie A title is Juventus' for the taking after they beat Empoli 2-0 on Saturday night to establish a 14-point advantage at the top of the table with nine games of the season remaining.

Carlos Tevez opened the scoring shortly before the interval and Roberto Pereyra added a second in stoppage time as the Bianconeri responded to wins from Roma and Lazio to restore a seemingly unassailable lead at the top of the standings.

They also had goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon to thank for making several fine interventions in the second half when Juve dropped their intensity, saving their batteries for a trip to Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia in midweek and the Champions League quarter-final clash with Monaco a week after.

Tevez was not given a rest by Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri, who did leave Alvaro Morata out of his side and handed Stefano Sturaro his first start in the absence of the injured midfield trio Claudio Marchisio, Paul Pogba and Andrea Pirlo.

The energetic Argentinian certainly did not look like he needed any sort of a rest either as he led Juve's assault on a 21st win of the season.

Luigi Sepe did well to deny the Serie A top-scorer after he threw two Empoli defenders a dummy to make room for a shot.

Tevez was making a nuisance of himself at all times and it was his pressure which forced Daniele Rugani to clear the ball back towards his own goalkeeper, who clutched the ball.

The referee decided it was a deliberate backpass and awarded Juve a free-kick just outside the six-yard box.

With 11 players lined up on the line, there was only one way Tevez was going to get the ball past them and that was by lifting it high into the roof of the net, and he executed his shot to perfection to give the hosts the lead.

It was enough to win the game, although Juve had to rely on Buffon in the second half to see them through.

Despite getting enticed from his line to seek a lofted ball, the Italy number one realised he was not going to make it and retreated enough to turn Manuel Pucciarelli's header behind.

Buffon denied the same Puciarelli with a perfectly-timed save which would have resulted in a penalty had he not got to the ball when he did, and he got back to his feet to punch Daniele Croce's effort away.

Nothing else came Buffon's way and there was time for Tevez to fill his lungs again with a run and shot which Sepe could only parry for Peryera to convert deep in stoppage time as Juve's march towards a fourth straight Serie A title continued unabated with a fourth straight league win.