Serie A: Juventus v Empoli recap as Tommaso Baldanzi earns point ...

MATCH REPORT

Ten-man Juventus missed the opportunity to strengthen their position at the top of Serie A as they could only draw 1-1 with struggling Empoli at the Allianz Arena.

Dusan Vlahovic struck early in the second half for his 12th goal of the season, after Arkadiusz Milik was shown a straight red following a VAR check just 18 minutes into the game.

But the highly rated Tommaso Baldanzi came off the bench to earn Empoli a share of the spoils with a fine effort from distance.

Milik’s red card – shown for a late challenge on Alberto Cerri – changed the complexion of the match as the hosts deployed a low block, allowing Empoli control of the possession while waiting for the opportunity to launch a counter-attack.

A golden chance fell to Fabio Miretti on the stroke of half-time when he pounced on a mistake in the Empoli half but somehow failed to hit the target from point-blank range.

Five minutes after the restart, Juventus broke the deadlock as Vlahovic capitalised on slack defending to swivel and fire home following a corner delivery.

But their lead only lasted 20 minutes as Baldanzi fired Empoli level with a low shot that left Wojciech Szczesny rooted to the spot.

It could have been worse for Juventus only for Szczesny who denied Nicolo Cambiaghi as Empoli piled on the pressure in search of a winner.

The Old Lady held on to keep their unbeaten home run intact, but their lead at the top of the table is only two points when it could have been four, with second-placed Inter yet to play this weekend.