Juventus blew Udinese away 4-0 at the Stadio Friuli to record their 10th consecutive Serie A victory.
The reigning champions are now second after a brace from Paulo Dybala and goals from Sami Khedira and Alex Sandro confirmed an emphatic away win before the half-time whistle.
Udinese, who had Danilo sent off in the concession of a penalty, suffered a 4-0 defeat at home for the second time this season having lost to Inter Milan by the same scoreline last month.
AC Milan scored early and late to defeat Fiorentina 2-0.
Carlos Bacca only needed four minutes to put Milan on top with a low shot across goal following a swift counter-attack, and the hosts’ lead held up until Kevin-Prince Boateng doubled it two minutes from time.
The result brought Milan up to sixth in Serie A, while Fiorentina missed a chance to move past Inter into third place.
Mario Balotelli came on with three minutes to play in his first appearance since September after groin surgery.
Luciano Spalletti was denied victory on his return to the Roma dugout as Hellas Verona forced a 1-1 draw at the Stadio Olimpico.
After a seven-year absence from the capital, Spalletti has replaced Rudi Garcia as Giallorossi boss and Radja Nainggolan gave him some early cause to be cheerful with a 41st-minute opener.
Giampaolo Pazzini’s penalty on the hour mark then secured a deserved share of the points for Hellas, who remain rooted to the foot of Serie A, 12 points adrift of safety.
Lazio fought back from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw at Bologna.
Emanuele Giaccherini’s long-range free-kick got Bologna up and running inside two minutes and Mattia Destro doubled the hosts’ lead when beating the offside trap after 18 minutes at the Dall’Ara.
The tide turned against Roberto Donadoni’s side when they lost Adam Masina to a red card in the 69th minute, with Antonio Candreva converting the subsequent penalty. Lazio scented blood and Senad Lulic grabbed a share of the spoils with 13 minutes remaining.
Goals in either half from Alberto Paloschi and Lorenzo Tonelli saw Chievo and Empoli share a 1-1 draw at the Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi.
Former AC Milan striker Paloschi notched inside seven minutes as he caught Lukasz Skorupski off his line with an awkward header from near the penalty spot.
Empoli were level within two minutes of the start of the second half. Piotr Zielinski’s long-range drive forced Albano Bizzarri into a scruffy save and Tonelli was there to convert an easy tap-in.
Ten-man Carpi claimed three crucial points in their battle to beat the drop by downing Sampdoria 2-1 at the Stadio Alberto Braglia.
Lorenzo Lollo fired the Biancorossi into a 28th-minute lead after racing onto Gaetano Letizia’s saved shot, but Sampdoria were level six minutes later, with Joaquin Correa firing past Vid Belec.
The hosts were gifted the opportunity to win when Fernando fouled Antonio Di Gaudio. Jerry Mbakogu did the honours and Carpi held on despite losing Riccardo Gagliolo to a late red card.
Genoa pulled clear of the relegation zone with a 4-0 home win over 10-man Palermo. Suso got the ball rolling with his fourth-minute opener, the former Liverpool midfielder trumping Stefano Sorrentino in a one-on-one.
The hosts remained dominant but needed the dismissal of Sinisa Andjelkovic for two bookable offences before they really let loose. Leonardo Pavoletti was first to exploit the gap, his looping header beating Sorrentino in the 71st minute, and Tomas Rincon volleyed home a third for Genoa only five minutes later.
Pavoletti then added gloss to the result with a last-gasp scissor kick.