Champions Juventus scored three second-half goals to return to winning ways in Serie A with a 3-0 win over Crotone on Sunday evening.

The Old Lady could not find a way past the relegation battlers in the opening 45 minutes, but Mario Mandzukic's headed opener soon after the restart opened the floodgates.

Mattia De Sciglio and Mehdi Benatia added their names to the scoresheet to ensure three easy points from Juve in the end, lifting them up to third in the table and now four points behind leaders Napoli.

After losing to Sampdoria in their last league outing, a response was required from Massimiliano Allegri's men on home soil against a team that has showed recent signs of revival - two wins in their last three heading into this Turin clash.

Crotone did well to frustrate their opponents for large parts, but they had never previously scored against Juve in four attempts and did not look likely to do so here.

Blaise Matuidi blasted wide from a good position and then failed to find the target from a header six yards out, before Alex Sandro finally tested Alex Cordaz with a decent attempt 38 minutes in.

The closest the visitors came to netting arrived shortly before the break, with Aleksandar Tonev striking the side-netting as the sides went into the interval all square.

Juve did eventually find a way through the Crotone wall, though, with Mandzukic finding some space to head home a Andrea Barzagli cross seven minutes into the second period.

The Bianconeri, who have now netted in each of their last 43 league games, added a second on the hour when substitute De Sciglio blasted home for his first professional goal.

Miralem Pjanic made certain of the victory with a close-range finish after the ball fell nicely into his path, ensuring that Juventus avoided a fourth slip-up of the campaign.

Home keeper Gianluigi Buffon, back in the starting lineup tonight, was called into action for the first time 15 minutes from time to deny Ante Budimir from the last meaningful act of the match.

Juventus (3-4-3): Buffon; Barzagli, Benatia, Howedes (Pjanic 68'); Lichtsteiner (De Sciglio 57'), Matuidi, Marchisio (Sturaro 77'), Alex Sandro; Douglas Costa, Mandzukic, Dybala

Crotone (4-4-2): Cordaz; Sampirisi, Ajeti, Ceccherini, Pavlovic; Rohden, Barberis (Romero 79'), Mandragora, Nalini (Faraoni 85'); Budimir, Tonev (Trotta 75')