Juventus stormed back from an early setback to secure a commanding 4-1 victory over struggling Empoli at home on Sunday, with new signing Randal Kolo Muani playing a starring role.
Empoli stunned the hosts just four minutes into the game when defender Mattia De Sciglio, on loan from Juventus, capitalized on a corner from Liam Henderson to head his side into an unexpected lead.
However, Juventus found their equalizer through Kolo Muani, who pounced on a loose ball in the box to restore parity.
The French forward wasted no time putting his new club ahead, netting again just three minutes later. His second goal came in fortuitous fashion, as Timothy Weah’s long-range strike deflected off him and nestled into the bottom corner.
Juventus, coming off a disappointing 2-0 Champions League defeat to Benfica and a 2-1 league loss to Napoli, ending their impressive 21-game unbeaten Serie A run—struggled in the first half, registering just one shot on target.
Empoli had a chance to double their advantage when they were awarded a penalty in the 15th minute after goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio fouled Youssef Maleh.
However, a VAR review overturned the decision due to a handball in the buildup.
After the break, Juventus increased their attacking intensity, with Empoli’s goalkeeper Devis Vásquez pulling off crucial saves to deny Nicolas Gonzalez and Teun Koopmeiners.
Kolo Muani eventually broke through on the hour mark, finishing inside the near post after latching onto Koopmeiners’ lofted pass.
As the game neared its conclusion, Juventus put the result beyond doubt.
Dusan Vlahovic extended the lead in the 90th minute with a thunderous shot under the bar after a solo effort, before substitute Francisco Conceição added a fourth, finishing off a sublime long pass from Khephren Thuram.
Empoli’s troubles deepened in the 84th minute when Maleh received his second yellow card, reducing them to 10 men.
With this victory, Juventus climbed to fourth place in Serie A with 40 points, moving one point ahead of Lazio, who face Cagliari on Monday.
They will look to continue their momentum when they travel to 15th-placed Como on Friday, while Empoli, teetering just above the relegation zone in 17th, will host AC Milan on Saturday.
