Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri says his side had to produce a very good performance to win the game against Cagliari on Thursday night.
The Bianconeri wasted no time at all in the first part of the game as they took a quick 2-0 lead through Carlos Tevez and Arturo Vidal with Fernando Llorente adding a third at the start of the second half.
Luca Rossettini headed in Cagliari's consolation 15 minutes later but it was too late for Zdenek Zeman's side as they continue their fight to avoid relegation.
"This wasn't an easy game, also because Cagliari was coming from a number of negative results and I expected them to put us under pressure," Allegri said.
"Only with such a good performance we could have controlled the game the way it did. We did well for the first 25 minutes of the game, then we started to control the game in a passive way, allowing Cagliari to attack us.
"But all in all I say this was a very good performance. We ended the game with no bookings, meaning that we were intelligent in this regards."
Asked to comment on the performance of Arturo Vidal, Allegri said: "Well, you tell me.
"Yesterday you were saying that he shouldn't play, that [Carlos] Tevez is not scoring anymore, that [Fernando] Llorente is in a bad moment of form yet he [Vidal] scored a great goal.
"It's impossible to score every week in football. I think Vidal is improving, he did well in terms of the physical aspect of the game and showed signs of improvement compared to previous matches.
"He scored a great goal, it's part of his game. I believe the second part of the season will be his best. Let's not forget that he featured in the World Cup Finals and then underwent surgery."
Juventus face Napoli in Monday's Italian Super Cup action and Allegri was full of praise for Rafa Benitez's side during the post-match press conference.
"It's only one game and Napoli is the worst possible opposition for these type of games," added the manager.
"They are quality, they possess amazing individual skills and we will have to be at our very best to win the game."
