Zdenek Grygera opened the scoring in the sixth minute before turning provider for Amauri 20 minutes later.

Vincenzo Iaquinta added a third in the 85th minute before Diego Milito reduced the arrears with a penalty two minutes from time.

An own goal from Sokratis Papastathopoulos in stoppage time completed the scoring and took Claudio Ranieri's side level with Inter, who they face next weekend at the San Siro.

With the Stadio Olimpico booked for the rugby international between Italy and Argentina at the weekend, this Serie A fixture was brought forward to an unusual Thursday night time slot.

The shift enabled both Juve to draw level at the top with another convincing display.

They were ahead after just six minutes when Grygera cut in from the right wing and fired his shot into the far post beyond Rubinho from a tight angle.

Genoa, who only trailed Juve by a point coming into the match, probed away at the hosts in search of an equaliser and with the league's top goalscorer, Milito, in their ranks they frequently threatened.

In the 18th minute Milito used a burst of pace to take him past Grygera and into the penalty area. A dip of the shoulder took him inside Giorgio Chiellini, but he shot just an inch to the wrong side of the post with Alexander Manninger beaten.

The Bianconeri needed a second goal and they got it in the 26th minute.

Amauri started the move off, finding Grygera on the right wing, and the Czech full-back delivered an appetising cross for the Juve striker to head powerfully past Rubinho.

Milito remained a threat at the other end and he had a goal wrongly ruled out for offside in the 27th minute.

The Argentinian was kept onside by Cristian Molinaro, but despite putting the ball in the back of the net, the goal did not count.

Andrea Gasbarroni hit the post with an angled shot as Genoa enjoyed a good spell of pressure, but Juve could have been three ahead before the break when Molinaro was put through by the enterprising Alessandro Del Piero, but his shot was cleared off the line by Domenico Criscito.

Genoa substitute Giuseppe Sculli found the side-netting with the first shot of the second half and the away side began to run out of steam.

Amauri had reached the end of his night too and Iaquinta replaced him.

Within seconds, he had put his name on the scoresheet, latching onto a delightful pass from Del Piero before placing his shot past Rubinho from 15 yards.

The visitors reduced the arrears two minutes from time when Nicola Legrottaglie handled inside the area and Milito was able to score his 10th goal of the season from the spot.

But an own goal from Papastathopoulos, who diverted a Mauro Camoranesi cross into his own goal in the second minute of stoppage time, restored Juve's three-goal lead, although it left them just one strike behind league leaders Inter on goal difference.