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The sometimes frenetic, but nonetheless entertaining, encounter at the Stadio Olimpico seemed destined to end in a 0-0 draw, only for the French striker to volley home the game's only goal in the fourth minute of injury time.

Inter's demolition job of Roma on Saturday had laid down the gauntlet for Juve, but the Old Lady did not disappoint the black and white half of Turin as Trezeguet's strike sounded out their title aspirations loud and clear.

The result moves Juve up into second place, just a point behind Inter and one ahead of third placed Fiorentina.

Claudio Ranieri's side had much the better of the opening exchanges at a rain-soaked Olimpico as they sought a fourth win of what has been an impressive return to the top flight so far.

Trezeguet - fresh from hitting his 100th Serie A goal a week ago - fired a warning shot across Toro's bows early on, forcing Toro keeper Matteo Sereni into tipping his quick turn and shot round the corner in just the second minute.

Ten minutes later, another of Juve's loyal veterans, Pavel Nedved, defied his years to out-leap those around him and meet a cross with his head, only for his effort to glance wide of the far upright.

And then young midfielder Raffaele Palladino again forced Sereni into action, but his crisp strike was straight at the keeper, who did well to hang onto the ball.

Alessandro Del Piero, so often a hero in these derby games, went on a mazy run as time ran out in the opening period, only to be stopped in his tracks by a brutal challenge from Granata captain Gianluca Comotto.

It was an indication of how committed both sets of players were, but the referee's reluctance to show another yellow card - he booked five players in the first half alone, and seven in total - was surprising to say the very least.

The resulting twice-taken free-kick could not entice any magic out of Del Piero, although he continued to give the Toro defence problems all night long.

Missing their main schemer, Alessandro Rosina, through injury, Toro resorted to playing long balls up to target man Nicola Ventola for much of the game, with little success.

It was left to little Alvaro Recoba to register their best effort on target just after the restart, the Uruguayan opting to fire goalwards from outside the penalty area. Gigi Buffon in the Juve goal found the striker's effort too hot to handle, and only just recovered in time to prevent Comotto reaching the rebound.

That was the best Toro could muster until Nicola Ventola saw his looping header from substitute Matteo Rubin's cross tipped over the bar by Buffon on 73 minutes.

But most of the attacking threat came from the Bianconeri, and the feeling was if anyone was going to nick a winner, it would be the away team.

Nedved could even have won it for Juve before Trezeguet struck, but the former Czech international's header with four minutes remaining drifted wide of the post.

So it was left to the man they call Trezegol back in his homeland to steal the points and the headlines, as he capitalised on a poor defensive header to turn and fire a volley into the bottom right hand corner of Sereni's net.

Mike Hytner / Eurosport