Vlahovic on fire as Juventus get back to winning ways
An even contest ensued early on, before Salernitana paid the price for their defensive instability, when Hans Nicolussi Caviglia clattered into Fabio Miretti inside the penalty area.
Referee Antonio Rapuano awarded Juventus a penalty without hesitation, and Vlahovic fired the resulting spot-kick in off the post to deny Salernitana the chance of keeping their first clean sheet in 11 Serie A matches.
Looking nothing like a side winless in three games after a shock 2-0 home defeat to Monza, Juventus swiftly took control of the match and doubled their lead late in the first half, when Vlahovic’s scuffed shot fell fortuitously to Filip Kostic, who poked past Guillermo Ochoa to seemingly kill the game.
And if it wasn’t over then, it certainly was just moments after the restart, when substitute Nicolo Fagioli made an instant impact and played in Vlahovic, who curled into the bottom corner past Ochoa to make it a resounding 3-0.
Eager to get in on the action, Angel Di María took a shot from distance that rattled the crossbar as Juventus seemed intent on adding to Salernitana’s already punch-drunk defence.
I Granata offered little in return too, and Federico Bonazzoli’s skidding volley was the closest the hosts came to reducing the deficit.
After ending a seven-match winless run by beating Lecce in the previous round, this was a huge reality check for a Salernitana side still far from safe in Serie A.
In contrast to their dishevelled hosts, the sense of relief from Juventus and coach Max Allegri was self-evident at the final whistle.
Following a turbulent few weeks on and off the field, I Bianconeri will look to use this victory as a springboard to claw themselves back into European contention in Serie A, despite now sitting 12 points off the top six.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus)