Juve have 63 points from 33 games, putting pressure on third-placed Lazio, on 61 points, to respond against Sassuolo later on Wednesday.

Lecce, 16th in the standings, thought they had taken the lead after three minutes through Assan Ceesay, but his effort was ruled out for offside after a lengthy VAR review.

It took 15 minutes before Paredes gave the hosts the lead with a well-placed free-kick from outside the box that found a gap in the Lecce wall and slipped into the lower left corner.

Lecce equalised in the 37th minute through Ceesay, who converted from the spot after Danilo gave away a penalty for handball. Vlahovic restored Juve’s lead three minutes later with a left-foot half-volley from the edge of the box.

Ceesay almost drew the visitors level near the end of the match when he was unmarked at close range and sent a header towards the goal. However, the effort and the following rebound were saved by Juve goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.