Cristiano Ronaldo netted twice to set another goalscoring landmark and help Juventus to a 3-1 home win over Udinese on Sunday.
Ronaldo's strikes on nine and 37 minutes saw him move up to 11 goals for the season in 19 appearances, becoming the only player in Europe's top five leagues to hit double figures in all competitions in each of the last 15 seasons.
Leonardo Bonucci's header on the stroke of half time effectively sealed the match, with Ignacio Pussetto netting a consolation for the visitors late in the game.
Juventus suffered their first defeat of the season at Lazio last weekend to surrender the lead to Inter Milan, but the champions put pressure back on Antonio Conte's side by moving one point clear at the top with victory at the Allianz Stadium.
Maurizio Sarri's side have 39 points, but Inter can regain first place by beating Fiorentina away in the late game on Sunday.
"The most important thing was to win," Ronaldo told Sky Sport Italia.
"This is how we should play, with confidence. Individual performances aren't what matters, but the collective effort."
Udinese remain in relegation trouble after falling to 17th place on 15 points, hovering just two points above the drop zone.
Juventus play their final Serie A game before the winter break at Sampdoria on Wednesday, before a rematch against Lazio in the Italian Super Cup in Saudi Arabia next weekend.
