Carlos Tevez strike puts Juventus nine points clear

Juventus striker Carlos Tevez celebrates his winning goal against Torino

Carlos Tevez scored his 14th goal of the season as Juventus edged to a derby victory over Torino.

Tevez rifled in a half-volley from 20 yards after a pass from Kwadwo Asamoah to secure a win that puts Juventus nine points clear at the top of Serie A.

The leaders survived a late scare when Andrea Pirlo appeared to trip Omar El Kaddouri in the area but Torino were denied a penalty.

Defeat left Torino four points off the final Europa League spot.

Tevez's strike put him level with Fiorentina striker Giuseppe Rossi at the top of the goalscorers' chart and proved the difference in a derby otherwise low on quality.

The Argentina striker, 30, left Torino goalkeeper Daniele Padelli with no chance after collecting Asamoah's pass in the 30th minute.

Torino have not beaten Juventus in the league since 1995 but put in an admirable display to frustrate their hosts for long periods of the game.

Juventus were lucky not to have Arturo Vidal sent off for a nasty challenge on Matteo Darmian. The Chilean had already been booked for handball but escaped a second yellow card.

El Kaddouri sent a free kick dipping just over the bar and Ciro Immobile's shot was blocked, before Gianluigi Buffon pounced on the loose ball as Giuseppe Vives looked to reach the rebound.

Torino were sure they should have had a penalty when Pirlo tripped El Kaddouri in the closing stages but the decision went in favour of Antonio Conte's Juventus, who hung to record their 17th successive victory.