Rome - A dull Juventus needed an own goal to edge struggling Napoli 1-0 late Saturday for a win that pushed them to within six points of Serie A leaders Inter Milan.

Juve captain Alessandro Del Piero fired a first drive before David Trezeguet had a volley saved on 15 minutes by goalkeeper Nicolas Navarro, who then saw Sebastian Giovinco fire the rebound above the bar.

The Argentine made another great dive two minutes later to slap a nasty Del Piero free kick above the bar.

Despite the constant pressure, Juve seemed unable to convert their dominance into goals as they provided very few telling feeds for Trezeguet.

Napoli's only first-half chance came on 38 minutes when German Denis set up Marek Hamsik for a close-range flick saved by Gianluigi Buffon.

A further hammering action brought a lucky fruit for the hosts as midfielder Claudio Marchisio pounced on a loose ball and fired a drive that appeared bound for the outfield were it not for the deflection of Emanuele Blasi.

There was more pressure from the guests after the break, but the Naples side only created a chance on 52 minutes with a central shot from Hamsik and failed to score despite holding the hosts in their midfield for long stretches of the game.

Juve now have 53 points from 26 games. Inter can regain a nine- point lead late Sunday when they welcome Roma.

Napoli suffered their eighth defeat in as many away games but remain safe at mid-table thanks to points notched in the early part of the season.

In earlier action, Mauro Zarate scored a brace for Lazio as the Rome side beat visiting Bologna 2-0 in the weekend opener. (dpa)