Juventus boss Antonio Conte admits victory over Lazio was decisive in the title battle.

The two sides were joint leaders going into this weekend, but Simone Pepe secured a 1-0 result and now Juve are clear at the top despite having a game in hand.

"We are happy because we won against a very strong side that will fight to the end for the top spots," assured Conte.

"As far as we are concerned, this performance is an important sign of our maturity. We suffered under pressure too, but that's inevitable at the Olimpico and we never stopped looking for the second goal.

"I told the lads that if we came here to win 1-0, we would lose. Therefore being a little bit open to counter-attacks was to be expected.

"I'm happy, as it was not an easy match and we won a top of the table clash."