Claudio Marchisio grabbed two late Juventus goals to beat Milan after Kevin-Prince Boateng saw red.

This was the first real test of Juve's Scudetto credentials and they needed a victory to keep up with Udinese at the top of the table. Pirlo shook off a knock to the knee so he could face his former teammates, but Giorgio Chiellini was moved to left-back with Mirko Vucinic the lone centre-forward. Zlatan Ibrahimovic returned midweek against Viktoria Plzen, though Alexandre Pato, Robinho, Gennaro Gattuso, Philippe Mexes and Mathieu Flamini were still sidelined. Kevin-Prince Boateng made his comeback, but felt the problem in his ribs again during the warm-up and only decided moments before kick-off whether to start the game.

The Rossoneri had won their last two trips to Turin, scoring four goals and keeping clean sheets. Their most recent defeat was 4-2 in December 2008, while the fixture hadn't ended in a stalemate since March 2006. This was, however, Milan's first ever visit to the new Juventus Stadium.

Christian Abbiati tipped a Stephan Lichtsteiner cross-shot over the bar, while Claudio Marchisio blasted over and the goalkeeper smothered a long-range Pirlo strike.

Abbiati punched a Pirlo free kick off the line, but Simone Pepe got back to charge down Ibra's half-volley for a corner. Abbiati also smothered when Mirko Vucinic spun round to fire low.

Vucinic went extremely close to an opener on 36 minutes when he lobbed from outside the box, which Abbiati at full stretch fingertipped on to the crossbar, as the ball bounced back off the ground and out.

Juve were dominating as time went on, but Marchisio failed to get power on the finish after a wonderful take and volley on Vidal's ball over the top. Vucinic flashed a shot across the face of goal, whistling past the far post.

Straight after the restart Pirlo's cross found Leonardo Bonucci to try to bundle it over the line with a combination of thigh and chest, but Abbiati somehow managed to keep the ball out from point-blank range.

At the other end, a Cassano pass found Boateng at the back post for a low volleyed cross-shot that Gigi Buffon fingertipped round the far stick.

Vucinic pounced on a poor Mark Van Bommel backpass to run into the box, but Thiago Silva got back and did just enough to put him off.

Alessandro Nesta had been struggling with a knee problem for the entire second half and eventually requested a substitution, so Luca Antonini came in with Daniele Bonera moving to centre-back.

Vidal flashed a dangerous daisy-cutter inches past the far post after Pirlo's dummy let the pass through. Vucinic went even closer, as his curler shaved a coat of paint off the same stick.

Juventus finally took a deserved lead with just four minutes to go. Marchisio burst forward and had a double give-and-go with Vidal and Vucinic to enter the box, then Bonera's desperate attempt at an interception ricocheted in off his shin.

Boateng then received a second yellow card for a bizarre foul, as he seemed to try to slap the ball off Chiellini's head and poked him in the face, requiring a bandage for a cut.

Juve doubled their lead with another odd strike, as Marchisio hit a splendid volley from distance that squirmed between Abbiati's legs. Alessandro Matri made a gesture to toe-poke it, but did not appear to make contact, so it was a howler from the goalkeeper.

Juventus: Buffon; Lichtsteiner, Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Pirlo, Marchisio; Krasic (Giaccherini 54), Vidal (Pazienza 94), Pepe; Vucinic (Matri 88)

Milan: Abbiati; Bonera, Nesta (Antonini 73), Thiago Silva, Zambrotta; Nocerino (Ambrosini 83), Van Bommel, Seedorf; Boateng; Ibrahimovic, Cassano (Emanuelson 61)

Ref: Rizzoli

Sent off: Boateng 88 (M)