Juventus 0-1 Empoli: Leonardo Mancuso strikes to give newly-promoted side shock win as Juve deal with Ronaldo exit

Newly-promoted Empoli inflicted a shock defeat on Juventus in Turin as the Old Lady made a miserable start to life without Cristiano Ronaldo.

All eyes were on Max Allegri's side after a manic few days in which they lost their star striker, but it was in defence where they were found wanting when Leonardo Mancuso gave Empoli the lead in the 21st-minute, an advantage they would hold onto.

It was no less than Empoli deserved as not only did they work harder than their opponents but also passed the ball better and were much more organised.

Paulo Dybala, Weston McKennie and Federico Chiesa all started for Juventus, but only the latter of the three had an impact in the first-half, drawing two fine saves from goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

Alvaro Morata replaced McKennie at the break as Allegri desperately looked for a spark in attack, but Juventus only regressed after the restart, and without the prowess of Ronaldo, never came close to drawing level. In injury-time, substitute Manuel Locatelli had their best chance but failed to steer his shot on target.

The defeat means Juventus are still without a win this season having drawn their opening game 2-2 with Udinese.

With Ronaldo making a stunning move to Manchester United on Friday, the most immediate concern for Juventus was who would fill the void for tonight's game. Well, it seemed Allegri didn't have the answer as the Old Lady appeared to play without a striker during the first half. Chiesa was their most dangerous player but spent most of his time outside of the penalty area, as did Dybala. And although Morata was introduced at the break to give Juventus a focal point, the former Chelsea forward failed to influence the tie as the hosts continued to toil, failing to even register a single shot on target in the second period. It begs the question: who is going to score the goals in CR7's absence?

It may be very early in the season, but already returning boss Allegri finds himself under pressure, mainly because his gameplan tonight was unknown and his tactics were unclear. But also because Juventus are already five points behind reigning champions Inter, having failed to win two winnable league games.

Moise Kean looks set to join the club early next week, and Allegri will hope his arrival gives the whole club a lift ahead of two ominous-looking fixtures in Napoli (a) and Milan (h).

At times, particularly in the first half, the 26-year-old ran riot in midfield, and you had to feel sorry for Danilo, asked to fill in as a makeshift defensive midfielder as he appeared out of his depth in trying to deal with the Empoli man.

Juventus: Szczesny 5, Cuadrado 7, Bonucci 6, De Ligt 6, Alex Sandro 5, Bentancur 4, Danilo 4, Rabiot 4, Chiesa 7, Dybala 6, McKennie 4.. subs: Bernadeschi 4, De Sciglio N/A, Kulusevski 5, Locatelli 5, Morata 4.

Empoli: Vicario 8, Stojanovic 7, Ismajli 7, Luperto 8, Marchizza 7, Haas 7, S Ricci 7, Bandinelli 9, Bajrami 7, Mancuso 8, Cutrone 7.. subs: Henderson N/A, Pinamonti 5, Stulac 5, Zurkowski N/A.

11' - So close! Oh, what a run from Chiesa. He starts from inside his own penalty area, skipping past a challenge as he drives forward menacingly, weaving through defenders before rifling a shot at goal from distance. Vicario does well to get down low and push it onto the outside of the post and out for a corner.

21' - GOAL! Juventus 0-1 Empoli (Leonardo Mancuso): Is another shock on the cards? I ask because Empoli have the lead! Juventus' marking is all over the place as Bandinelli is left all alone as he darts to the by-line and cuts it back to Bajrami, whose shot is deflected and bundled home by Mancuso!

90'+4 - Wide! Locatelli controls in the penalty area but drags his shot wide, and his appeals for a corner are ignored by the referee.

Juventus have failed to win each of their first two Serie A matches for only the third time in their last 52 top-flight campaigns (after 2010/11 and 2015/16).