Che Adams jumped off the bench and hit the winner in the second-half.
Vanoli said, "I liked it because we are starting to have a team spirit, and this is more important than anything. When you are looking for the three points at all costs you risk being frenetic, we have loosened up over time.
"When you come from long periods in which things don't come despite the performances, the head is fundamental. I stimulate and wait for everyone, the example tonight was Karamoh. Today we met a team that was doing well, the game was open and of sacrifice. I started with an extra midfielder to slow down the first half of Empoli, who is strong in the first fractions.
"This could be the way forward but before we go down it we need to grow in mentality. We have become more balanced, more compact even with the defensive line. In today's football it is beautiful to play with many attackers, but they have to sacrifice themselves. If they do, then so be it. These guys need to reflect on the period and know that the road is long and we need points. Dembelé has also given us an important contribution."
He added, "I think we didn't let the intensity drop. It wasn't easy here, Torino hadn't won here for a long time. I've seen many teams apart from Inter who struggled, Empoli is a young team and well built, they have a physical and technical midfield. I'm lucky that if we understand that we're becoming a team, we can get results."
- Get breaking football news faster with the new Tribal Football app! Download now on iOS and Android to stay ahead of all the latest transfers and football updates. Download now: App Store, Google Play