Internazionale took full advantage of Roma's slip-up at Livorno to extend their lead at the top of Serie A to six points with a hard fought 1-0 win away at Torino.

Julio Cruz netted the only goal of the game, leaving Roma to rue their 1-1 draw in the capital a day earlier.

Elsewhere, a Kaka hat-trick plunged Reggina deeper into the relegation mire and gave Milan's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League a real boost in a 5-1 win at the San Siro.

Alessandro Del Piero was also in goalscoring mood as the veteran striker netted three times to help Juventus to a comfortable 4-0 win over Atalanta in Bergamo - and close the gap on second-placed Roma to five points in the process.

Elsewhere, Sampdoria clung onto Milan's coattails in sixth place with a 3-0 win over Udinese while Napoli came from behind to beat Parma 2-1.

Torino 0-1 Inter

The hosts started by far the brighter of the two sides at the Stadio Olimpico, Toro skipper Alessandro Rosina at the heart of most of the Granata's attacking play.

The Italy international flashed a curler just wide of the upright as early as the second minute and he again went close again in the 16th minute before Marco Di Loreto glanced a header just past the post six minutes later.

But, like so many good sides playing away from home, Inter were happy to soak up the pressure until they were given a chance to deliver a hammer blow on the break.

It was Julio Cruz whom that chance fell to, and the Argentine was clinical in his finishing as he dove in at the near post to meet a corner with a brave header.

Conceding a goal rocked the hosts and Inter began to enjoy a great deal more possession as the half time whistle approached.

The champions very nearly took a two-goal lead when young striker Mario Balotelli - again in the side in the absence of the injured Zlatan Ibrahimovic - struck an upright with a hooked shot on 33 minutes; a hefty deflection had left goalkeeper Alberto Maria Fontana rooted to the spot and with no chance of getting to it.

The half time break allowed Torino to regroup and they came out for the second half in determined mood. Rosina was again central to that, although again he could not find the target when the ball fell kindly to him on the edge of the box on 64 minutes.

As time wound down, Toro poured forward in search of an equaliser, substitute Nicola Ventola bringing a decent stop out of Julio Cesar moments before an penalty claim was turned down after Eugenio Corini's cross struck Marco Materazzi's arm.

With Toro committing so many players forward, there was always a chance Inter could break and threaten to get a second. And so it proved in the final minute, but Cesar somehow managed to put a header wide when hitting the target seemed easier.

The result means two more wins for Inter will be enough to hand them their third straight scudetto title, while Torino are in grave danger of being sucked into an end-of-season relegation dogfight.

Milan 5-1 Reggina

Brazilian forward Kaka coolly dispatched two first half penalties before grabbing a third after the break to ease Milan fears of a Reggina comeback after Edgar Barreto had pulled one back for the visitors on 40 minutes.

Late goals from Pippo Inzaghi and substitute Alexandre Pato sealed all three points for Milan as the pressure eased on Rossoneri coach Carlo Ancelotti.

Kaka's first from the spot came after an eighth minute trip on the Brazilian by Francesco Modesto and when Luca Vigiani felled Clarence Seedorf in the 33rd minute, the referee had no choice but to point the spot for a second time.

The end result was the same, although Kaka opted to find the opposite corner this time as Milan took a two-goal lead.

Barreto's stunning strike from 25 yards six minutes later brought Reggina right back into the game and the visitors began to trouble Milan for the first time in the match.

But just as the home crowd were beginning to turn on their side, Kaka slotted home from a narrow angle on 68 minutes to mirror Del Piero's feat elsewhere and restore Milan's two-goal cushion.

Inzaghi finally got on the scoresheet on 73 minutes and in typical fashion - tapping in from close range after Pato's shot had cannoned back to him off the post.

Pato himself got in on the act a time ran out, the 18-year-old heading home Johan Gourcuff's cross to give the scoreline a rather flattering appearance.

Atalanta 0-4 Juventus

Nicola Legrottaglie opened the scoring for Juve with just 50 seconds on the clock, the defender powering a header past Atalanta keeper Ferdinando Coppola from Del Piero's inch-perfect free kick.

Del Piero then turned his hand to doing what he does best - finding the back of the net - and the remainder of the game developed into a masterclass in finishing.

His first came five minutes after the opener, the Italy international hooking home from close range after David Trezeguet had headed the ball back across the face of goal.

On 34 minutes Del Piero came out on top in a one-on-one with Coppola before his hat-trick was completed in the 65th minute with another cool finish past the unfortunate Nerazzurri keeper.

With Roma slipping up against Livorno a day earlier, the win gave Juve's hopes of automatic qualification for the Champions League a huge boost with just four games remaining.

Cagliari 2-0 Empoli

Roberto Acquafresca and Michele Fini scored to lift the Sardinians further from the drop zone and leave Empoli in the bottom three.

Cagliari won despite Fini being dismissed when he received a second yellow for removing his shirt in celebrating his 65th-minute goal. Team mate Francesco Pisano was also sent off in the 78th for two bookings.

Catania 1-0 Lazio

Gionatha Spinesi's first-half penalty sent the Sicilians five clear of the relegation zone.

Lazio had Luciano Zauri sent off in the 33rd minute and Ousmane Dabo dismissed in the 58th for two quickfire bookings, playing the last 32 minutes two men short.

Parma 1-2 Napoli

The hosts are one point above the drop zone after going ahead but then having three sent off as Napoli came back.

Parma striker Igor Budan belted a penalty down the middle midway through the first half after Cristiano Lucarelli, who later had an effort ruled out for offside, was fouled.

Napoli equalised on halftime through Maurizio Domizzi's penalty after Parma's Kenyan midfielder McDonald Mariga was harshly sent off for impeding Daniele Mannini.

Mariano Bogliacino put the visitors ahead on 74 minutes before Parma's Giulio Falcone and Andrea Gasbarroni were dismissed alongside Napoli's Walter Gargano as the game turned ugly.

Sampdoria 3-0 Udinese

Antonio Cassano's header and Claudio Bellucci's double kept Samp's outside Champions League hopes alive.

Cassano nodded home a free kick on 24 minutes before his strike partner's neat finish. Bellucci then blasted in an early second-half penalty to leave Udinese fretting over a UEFA Cup berth.

Siena 0-1 Genoa

Abdoulay Konko's shot across the keeper moved Genoa three points behind Udinese in the battle for a UEFA Cup spot. Gaetano De Rosa was sent off in the first half for a professional foul on Siena's Massimo Maccarone but the hosts held on as Maccarone missed a couple of chances.

Mike Hytner / Eurosport / Reuters