Serie A roundup: High-flying Lazio continue fine form, Spezia and Salernitana draw
Monza 0 Lazio 2
Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic produced a classy free-kick to rubber-stamp a comfortable victory over Monza at Stadio Brianteo, tightening their grip on second spot as Maurizio Sarri’s side close in on two months without conceding a Serie A goal.
Coming into the match without a clean sheet in five, prospects of keeping high-flying Lazio at bay were always slim for Monza, and their defence was breached in shambolic fashion with less than 13 minutes on the clock.
As Mattia Zaccagni’s low cross trickled across the box, the hosts were inexplicably frozen to the spot, allowing Pedro to ghost in, slot home and force the Biancorosso into an uphill battle against the second-best defence in the league.
Lazio were far from home and dry, however, as the lively Patrick Ciurria sent in two wicked crosses before the break, with the first headed into the side netting by Stefano Sensi and the second, from Andrea Petagna, requiring Ivan Provedel to produce an eye-catching reflex save.
Those near-misses served as a warning for Sarri, who breathed a sigh of relief when Milinkovic-Savic converted a textbook free-kick which flew past Michele Di Gregorio at his near post.
The Lazio boss’ meticulous approach to defensive organisation then came to the fore as his side professionally shut up shop, affording the hosts no more than half chances in the closing stages to prevent the three points from ever truly coming under threat.
The result provides renewed confidence for Lazio, who are now six unbeaten in the league after scoring more than once for just the second time in 13 matches.
For Monza, meanwhile, a first-ever win over the visitors remains elusive but they stay 13th in the table, edging towards mathematical safety in their maiden Serie A campaign.
Flashscore Player of the Match: Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio)
Spezia 1 Salernitana 1
A second-half strike from Eldor Shomurodov salvaged a point for Spezia in their home meeting with Salernitana, ensuring the visitors have now equalled a club-record four consecutive Serie A draws.
In a battle between two teams fighting for Serie A survival, it was the visitors who started the brightest. Salernitana were unable to make their early dominance count though, as Antonio Candreva saw his close-range effort blocked.
After surviving the early pressure, Spezia showed signs of promise midway through the first half when Emmanuel Gyasi’s menacing delivery found Shomurodov, but the Roma loanee could only loop his header onto the roof of the net.
Just past the half-hour mark, Daniele Verde audaciously attempted to score directly from a corner, forcing Guillermo Ochoa to scramble across his line to make the crucial stop.
The first period looked destined to meander towards a goalless conclusion, but that quickly changed in the 43rd minute. Lassana Coulibaly’s lofted pass sparked panic in the Spezia defence, causing Mattia Caldara to inadvertently poke the ball past his own goalkeeper.
As it transpired, the Aquilotti were fortunate not to be two down at the break, with the woodwork coming to their aid to keep Krzysztof Piatek at bay.
After watching his teammate attempt the spectacular in the opening 45 minutes, halftime substitute Daniel Maldini looked to pull his side level with an ambitious effort straight from a corner, but once again, Ochoa was able to claw the ball off his goalline.
However, there was nothing the Mexican goalkeeper could do to prevent Shomurodov from registering his first Spezia goal with a sublime chipped finish following a mistake in the Salernitana defence.
As the contest entered the final 15 minutes, the hosts came agonisingly close to completing the turnaround, striking the woodwork on two occasions. First, Maldini’s curling free-kick rattled the crossbar, before Albin Ekdal poked his shot against the post.
With a winner not forthcoming, the spoils were shared, leaving Spezia and Salernitana six and nine points away from danger respectively.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Eldor Shomurodov (Spezia)