Juventus maintains upward trend with win at Palermo

Mario Mandzukic lifted the mood on Sunday as Juventus earned a 3-0 victory against Palermo to go back to fifth place in the Serie A standings.

The big Croatian towered over Palermo defender Aljaz Struna to break the deadlock in the 54th minute, turning around what was shaping up to be a disappointing performance at Stadio Renzo Barbera.

Related: VIDEO - Mandzukic scores off towering header vs. Palermo

Stefano Sturaro added to the lead in the 89th minute, and substitute Simone Zaza sealed the Bianconeri's fourth consecutive league win with an easy shot past goalkeeper Stefano Sorrentino in stoppage time.

Juventus failed to hit the net in the first half, and only ended up with three shots on target by the final whistle. Paul Pogba and Juan Cuadrado had their chances, but couldn't direct their efforts toward the goal.

Palermo wasn't much better. Sorrentino had more touches and played more passes than any of his teammates after 45 minutes - a crushing indictment on the hosts.

So the visitors took the initiative, and former player Paulo Dybala did the work.

Dybala marked his first visit to Palermo since his move to Juventus this summer with a fine assist for Mandzukic. The 22-year-old has now been directly involved in nine of Juve's 20 league goals this season, proving his €32-million signing might just have been worth it.