Former Watford midfielder Giorgi Chakvetadze came closest in a quiet opening, but he was denied by good defending from Saul Coco.
Gaetano Oristanio’s blocked effort around the half-hour mark was Torino’s first real shot, summing up the nature of a tight contest between two out-of-form teams before Unai Gomez then headed tamely wide and Oier Zarraga lashed over from range with clear-cut chances very much at a premium.
That was until the hosts broke the deadlock after 36 minutes through Daniel Braganca. Che Adams’ improvised volley came back off the post and fell kindly for Braganca to thump home from inside the six-yard box as Torino opened the scoring in a Serie A match for the first time this season.
Torino’s joy was short-lived as Udinese equalised before half-time. Jurgen Ekkelenkamp - who scored the winner in the Bianconeri’s 2-1 victory in this fixture last season - took advantage of a ricochet inside the box to fire a low left-foot shot into the bottom corner.
That goal meant Torino have now conceded in 11 consecutive league matches, matching the similarly unwanted streak they posted in 2020.
Il Toro re-established their lead midway through the half, however, as Udinese were punished for Okoye’s comical mistake. The Nigerian international raced to the edge of his box to head away a long ball, only to collide with his own defender Nicolo Bertola and present the ball straight to substitute Sandro Kulenovic, who passed the ball into an unguarded net.
Torino then pushed for a third as Kulenovic fired wide and Emirhan Ilkhan forced a good save from Okoye before Giovanni Simeone also tested the goalkeeper.
In the end, two goals were enough to seal the home side’s second league win of the season, moving them three points clear of the relegation zone.
Ignazio Abate’s team will look for back-to-back wins when they go to Parma next weekend, while Udinese host Lecce, aiming to end their four-game losing run.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Jurgen Ekkelenkamp (Udinese)