Juventus kept their own title hopes alive while dealing a potentially fatal blow to those of AC Milan with a thrilling 4-2 victory at Turin's Stadio Olimpico on Sunday.
Juve stay just six points behind leaders Inter Milan, who beat rock bottom Chievo by the same score earlier in the day.
Milan, who finished with 10 men after Gianluca Zambrotta was sent off on his return to his former club, are nine points back in fourth spot with the title now slipping away.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti said defensive weakness had cost them.
"What made the difference? We were too vulnerable at the back, we let them have too many chances to score," he said.
"The difference was in defence, we conceded too easily."
Juve's two-goal hero Amauri claimed it was a fully deserved result.
"It was a great match. We know that Milan are a great team and if we won it's because we deserved it," he said.
"We knew how to put Milan under pressure."
Juve took the lead through an Alessandro Del Piero penalty after the striker himself was felled in the box by Marek Jankulovski.
Milan hit back just after the half hour as Georgian center-back Kakha Kaladze played in Ronaldinho on the left and he crossed for Pato to tap home.
But Milan failed to stay on level terms for very long and center-back Giorgio Chiellini was left free to head home a Del Piero corner.
Brazilian Amauri scored Juve's third just before the break after more poor Milan defending as no-one closed down Paolo De Ceglie on the left, allowing him to pick out Amauri's head with a pinpoint cross.
Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati kept his side in it at the beginning of the second period with smart saves from Claudio Marchisio and Momo Sissoko.
Massimo Ambrosini then scored Milan's second on 56 minutes with a deflected shot but any hopes the visitors had of claiming something from the game soon disappeared.
Zambrotta was dimissed for a second booking on 65 minutes and four minutes later Amauri slotted in his second with a bobbled volley.
Del Piero almost added a fifth but crashed his shot off the post with Abbiati well beaten.
At the San Siro, Inter looked to be coasting two minutes into the second half when they led 2-0 but the Flying Pigs staged an unexpected fight-back to level things at 2-2 before Sweden forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic netted a late brace.
That ensured Inter will go into the Serie A winter break in a week's time at the top of the standings.
But Mourinho criticized his players for taking things too easy.
"In the first half we scored straight away and then relaxed too much, as if the match was already over," he said.
"After Chievo equalized they hoped to win and we were afraid of losing but we managed to react and score two goals."
Inter were off to a dream start on three minutes as Brazilian full-back Maxwell cantered down the left on the overlap, took a pass from Dejan Stankovic, cut inside and rifled home right footed.
It was a similar story at the start of the second period as the champions fashioned a brilliant goal through Stankovic, who finished off an Ibrahimovic flick from Maicon's cross.
Sergio Pellessier began the comeback with a stunning shot from distance that gave Julio Cesar no chance in the Inter goal.
And on 65 minutes the San Siro was stunned into silence as Andrea Mantovani got to the byeline on Chievo's left and crossed for Simone Bentivoglio to bundle home from barely two yards out, and courtesy of a deflection off Maxwell.
But Ibrahimovic rose highest to head home a cross from Maicon with 11 minutes left and after Chievo's Santiago Morero was sent off for a second booking the Swede smashed home a stunning right foot shot two minutes from time.
AS Roma won for the fifth match in a row to continue their recent resurgence with a come from behind 3-2 success at home to Cagliari.
Roma have been upwardly mobile since a disastrous start to the season in which they lost six of their first nine matches and they now find themselves in the top half of the table for the first time this campaign.
Things looked good as Francesco Totti put them in front but goals from Daniele Conti and Brazilian Jeda turned the match on its head before Simone Perrotta's acrobatic finish restored parity.
Roma threw everything but the kitchen sink at Cagliari and Mirko Vucinic scored the winner in injury time after a scramble in the box.
Adrian Mutu and Alberto Gilardino scored as Fiorentina went fifth with a 2-0 home win over Catania.
Udinese's slump continued as they blew a 3-0 lead at home to Lazio to draw 3-3 and extended their winless streak to seven games.
(AFP via China Daily December 16, 2008)
