A thoroughly unconvincing Juventus earned the 1-0 win away to Palermo thanks only to a deflected Dani Alves effort, as tactical experiments did not pay off.

The Bianconeri got back on top of the table with the midweek 4-0 demolition of Cagliari, but missed Medhi Benatia and Claudio Marchisio, while resting Giorgio Chiellini and Paulo Dybala for an experimental formation with double centre-forwards Gonzalo Higuain and Mario Mandzukic. Palermo earned their first win of the season, 1-0 away to Atalanta, but Robin Quaison, Aleksandar Trajkovski, Carlos Embalo and Slobodan Rajkovic were injured.

Higuain had his first effort over the bar within 12 seconds, but it was a tense start with three bookings in the opening eight minutes, two of them for Juve players (Leo Bonucci and Mandzukic).

Miralem Pjanic’s free kick was punched out of the near top corner and Higuain squirmed between two defenders to see his shot charged down by a decisive Giancarlo Gonzalez block. Mandzukic turned a free header over from a set play.

Higuain’s first touch on a long Pjanic pass was marvellous, but Josip Posavec timed his intervention perfectly to pluck the ball off his feet.

Daniele Rugani put his foot down badly and seemed to sprain his knee, but was surprisingly replaced by Juan Cuadrado in his first appearance of the season. This changed the system to 4-3-3.

The Bianconeri had a rapid counter-attack that should’ve gone better, but Mario Lemina went for goal rather than pass to unmarked Cuadrado, so Posavec parried and the rebound was cleared off the line.

Lemina turned another promising effort over and Mato Jajalo horribly shinned a finish inside the box. On the stroke of half-time Posavec almost paid for a weak punch, but was fortunate Pjanic’s follow-up lob was straight at him.

It remained ill-tempered with six bookings in the first half.

The deadlock was broken after the deadlock with a moment of luck for Dani Alves, whose hopeful long-range cross-shot took a massive deflection off Edoardo Goldaniga’s heel to leave Posavec stranded.

Palermo whipped in a few dangerous crosses from the left, where Dani Alves and Cuadrado were not defending well, but Mandzukic almost added a second with a scorching volley that Posavec palmed out from under the bar.

Posavec was absolutely decisive again on 70 minutes, brilliantly denying Mandzukic from point-blank range on a Sami Khedira assist.

Mandzukic did get the ball in the back of the net moments later on a Dani Alves free kick, but the goal was correctly ruled offside.

Gigi Buffon punched away a swerving Alessandro Diamanti free kick and Haitam Aleesami turned Cuadrado inside out for a dangerous cross that Alex Sandro crucially intercepted, as Palermo started to pour forward.

Ilija Nestorovski also tested Buffon at the near post, so in the final minutes Allegri restored a 3-5-2 system with Giorgio Chiellini. However, substitute Kwadwo Asamoah limped off after all the changes had been completed, so Juve had to play stoppages with 10 men.

Buffon was alert to smother a low Andrea Rispoli cross before Nestorovski could get there from six yards and Mandzukic got back to defend in the final stages of a siege.