Serie A: Lazio Beat Atalanta, Napoli Earn Vital Win
Lazio hit back after their Italian Cup defeat to Atalanta with a 3-1 win on their return trip to Bergamo on Sunday, as Napoli got back to winning against Parma to move into the Champions League berths.
Napoli climbed to fourth with a 2-0 win over Parma, equal on points with both Roma, who host Hellas Verona later on Sunday, and Lazio, who are sixth.
Lazio were eliminated from the Italian Cup in the quarterfinal stage midweek with a 3-2 loss in Bergamo.
The Roman side gained revenge with a dominant display at the Gewiss Stadium for their fifth consecutive league win.
Lazio went ahead after just three minutes with Adam Marusic curling in from a distance. Joaquin Correa doubled the lead from a tight angle six minutes after the break.
Mario Pasalic pulled a goal back for Atalanta with 10 minutes to go, sending in a rebound after Luis Muriel hit the post.
Andreas Pereira and Vedat Muriqi both came off the bench after 80 minutes with the pair combining to create Lazio's third which Muriqi tapped in two minutes later.
"The goal at the beginning changed the game," said Gian Piero Gasperini, the Atalanta coach, after his team fell to their first league defeat in two months.
"Lazio are a good team, we're aware that they're direct rivals we're fighting to finish ahead of."
Atalanta drop to seventh, one point behind Lazio.
NAPOLI REBOUND
Napoli rebounded from last weekend's loss at Hellas Verona, despite a sloppy performance against 19th-placed Parma.
Eljif Elmas broke through after half an hour, collecting the ball in midfield, beating four opponents and finishing off the solo effort from an angle.
Matteo Politano added a second eight minutes from time with a shot which took a deflection off Parma defender Yordan Osorio.
Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso hit out at the criticism he faces from "keyboard fans, in the era of lockdown" despite the team being in the running for a Champions League return.
"I get slaughtered every day and it's difficult," complained the former AC Milan coach.
"I'm taking slaps to the right and left every day, you'd think we are last in the standings."
In Sardinia, Jeremie Boga scored deep into injury time to rescue a 1-1 draw for eighth-placed Sassuolo, who are six points off the Europa League places.
Cagliari remain in the relegation zone after stretching their winless run to 13 games.
Elsewhere, Rodrigo De Paul scored the only goal from the penalty spot and was later sent off against Spezia to end Udinese's eight-match winless run in a game both teams finished with 10 players.
Udinese move up to 13th after their first win since December 12 with Spezia dropping to 16th, four points above the relegation zone.
Genoa got back-to-back wins for the first time this season 3-0 at rock bottom Crotone, with Mattia Destro scoring twice for the port side, who are in 14th place. (AFP)