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Juventus come from behind to beat Fiorentina, win sixth straight

Reigning champions Juventus burst back into the Serie A title race with a come-from-behind 3-1 victory over fierce rivals Fiorentina.

The Bianconeri fell from grace by opening their fourth Scudetto defence with back-to-back defeats, but they are now only six points behind leaders Inter Milan after winning six games in a row.

Josip Ilicic's penalty was cancelled out by former Fiorentina winger Juan Cuadrado, on loan at the Juventus Stadium, with Mario Mandzukic and Paulo Dybala completing the turnaround in the second half.

Massimiliano Allegri's Juve are now fourth ahead of next Sunday's trip to lowly Carpi, while second-placed Fiorentina, who next host Chievo, remain four points behind Inter.

Fans on both sides did not have to wait long for drama to unfold in Turin as barely two minutes had passed when Fiorentina were awarded a spot-kick.

Federico Bernardeschi skipped into the box only for Giorgio Chiellini to impede him, with referee Daniele Orsato promptly awarding a penalty.

Gianluigi Buffon guessed right but Ilicic's finish was unstoppable.

Celebrations in the away end were loud and unapologetic but died away suddenly in the sixth minute, when Juve levelled through a source familiar to Fiorentina supporters.

Cuadrado, the man who scored 20 league goals for them before leaving for Chelsea in January, nodded Patrice Evra's pinpoint cross beyond Ciprian Tatarusanu to equalise emphatically.

Dybala soon tried to cause chaos with a clever through-ball as Juve pushed for the lead, with Leonardo Bonucci trying his luck from distance just before the half-time whistle.

The same player made a mistake that almost let Fiorentina in for a second goal when play resumed, but Nikola Kalinic was anticipated by Buffon before he could capitalise.

Dybala just missed the target with a shot on the turn from another Evra cross and, in the 80th minute, Juve managed to turn the game on its head.

Paul Pogba provided the defence-splitting pass forward that Dybala stabbed at an onrushing Tatarusanu -- all Mandzukic needed to do was sweep home the loose ball.

Juve needed a third goal to rubber-stamp the result and they got it through new fan favourite Dybala, the former Palermo striker sweeping Cuadrado's pass under Tatarusanu deep into stoppage time.