Inter Milan won Italy's clash of the titans last night, beating reigning champions Juventus 1-0 in front of 80,000 fans in the San Siro. France's Youri Djorkaeff scored the goal but the match-winner came gift-wrapped from Inter's Brazilian star Ronaldo.
It was Juventus's first defeat of the season and puts Inter, who had Frenchman Benoit Cauet sent off five minutes from the whistle, four points clear at the top of the Serie A.
Juventus had shown all the initiative in the first half and only some desperate defending by Inter had kept them out.
The Turin club laid siege to the Inter goal midway through the opening 45 minutes as first Edgar Davids, then Antonio Conte and Ciro Ferrara tested the home side's defence.
Ronaldo then started to show his quality. Ferrara bungled an easy clearance, allowing Ronaldo to shoot from 10 yards, and it took a reflex save by Juventus's World Cup goalkeeper Peruzzi to push the Brazilian's chip over the bar.
But Inter held on until the break, and were rewarded just two minutes after the re-start.
Ronaldo collected a pass on the right flank and beat two Juventus men before curling the ball across the face of the goal for the waiting Djorkaeff to knock it home at the far post.
Two goals from German Oliver Bierhoff hoisted Udinese into joint second with Juventus, as his side humbled AS Roma 2-1 at the Olympic stadium.
Bierhoff, whose goal in the last match of 1997 beat Inter Milan, struck twice in the second half.
Argentine Abel Balbo pulled one back for Roma with a 60th minute penalty, but Udinese, this season's revelation in the Serie A, are now level on 29 points with Juventus.
Lazio missed their chance to beat Parma and ended up settling for a 1-1 draw after taking an early lead.
Roberto Mancini supplied the pass and Croatian Alen Boksic's low shot beat Parma's teenage goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon after only 18 minutes.
Parma equalised in the 55th minute with a penalty converted by Enrico Chiesa.
Brazilian midfielder Leonardo celebrated his return from international duty with the first goal in AC Milan's 2-1 win at bottom club Napoli, Maurizio Ganz hitting the other - his first since arriving from neighbours Inter.
Fiorentina's Argentine skipper Gabriel Batistuta scored his 100th goal in the Serie A in their 1-1 home draw with Sampdoria.
Another World Cup hopeful, Roberto Baggio, scored both goals as Bologna brought up a muchneeded 2-1 victory over Brescia, while South African Phil Masinga scored a 40th minute equaliser for Bari, the former Leeds striker setting up a 2-1 victory over Vicenza.
Raffaele Ametrano scored both goals as Empoli drew 2-2 with Lecce, while Piacenza's 38-yearold defender Pietro Vierchowod hit the equaliser in the fifth minute of injury time in their 2-2 draw with Atalanta.
In Spain, Real Madrid missed their chance to head the table as they lost 3-2 to Real Betis in a bruising match. The defeat left the champions on 39 points, one adrift of Barcelona who play at Salamanca today.
Real Sociedad were third on 35 points after a 1-0 home win over Mallorca.
