Higuain hat-trick helps Juventus maintain Scudetto pressure on Napoli

Gonzalo Higuain scored a second-half hat-trick as Juventus routed Sassuolo 7-0 to keep the pressure on Napoli in the Serie A title battle.

Juve were already four goals to the good at half-time, Sami Khedira’s brace sandwiched by strikes from Alex Sandro and Miralem Pjanic.

And Higuain took centre stage after the interval, scoring in the 63rd, 74th and 83rd minutes to give the scoreline an emphatic look.

Napoli will have the chance to respond when they take on rock-bottom Benevento in the evening kick-off.

Roma had earlier beaten Hellas Verona 1-0, rising star Cengiz Under with the goal inside a minute.

The Giallorossi lost Lorenzo Pellegrini to a red card early in the second half but held on for the three points.

Ten-man AC Milan, though, were held to a 1-1 draw at Udinese.

The visitors took an early lead through Suso but Davide Calabria’s dismissal and keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma’s unfortunate own goal – the ball going in off his arm after Kevin Lasagna’s cross deflected off Leonardo Bonucci and deceived him – pegged them back.

Luca Cigarini scored in the first half and Marco Sau made the game safe in the second to lift the Sardinians seven points clear of their opponents who occupy the top relegation position.

Fiorentina won 2-1 at Bologna, with goals from Jordan Veretout and Federico Chiesa either side of Eric Pulgar’s equaliser, while Gianluca Mancini earned Atalanta a 1-0 win over Chievo.