Serie A Wk 3: Inter win Scudetto showdown

Wesnesday 20 September
Roma 0-1 Inter
Hernan Crespo was the star of the show as ten-man Internazionale silenced their critics with a stunning win against the league leaders Roma in the capital on Wednesday night. Crespo scored a fine solo effort on the stroke of half time before winning a penalty nine minutes into the second period as Inter dominated Luciano Spalletti's side in a pulsating encounter. It could have been better for Inter, whose coach Roberto Mancini has been under increasing media pressure after a recent disappointing results, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic had a penalty saved and Patrick Vieira was sent off in injury time. But while the protracted protestations at the Frenchman's dismissal will mar the result, the Inter performance - which sees the Nerazzurri climb to third in Serie A - was scintillating throughout.

Palermo 5-3 Catania
Palermo opened up a two-point lead at the top of Serie A after winning a thrilling Sicilian derby 5-3 against Catania. The game was level at the break - Palermo's Giovanni Tedesco equalising Giorgio Corona's opener - but the second half belonged to the hosts. Fabio Henrique Simplico, who was later sent off, restored Palermo's lead only for Guiseppe Mascara to level matters after 64 minutes. A Eugenio Corini penalty put Palermo 3-2 ahead and further goals from Carvalho de Oliveira Amauri and Andrea Barzagli effectively settled the contest before Gionatha Spinesi grabbed a late consolation for the visitors.

Milan 1-0 Ascoli
AC Milan are finally in the black points-wise after registering their third successive win this season with a hard-fought defeat of Ascoli at the San Siro. Having started the campaign on minus eight, it was always going to be a long road back for Carlo Ancelotti's men but their perfect start has rekindled hope of a title challenge. Marek Jankulovski was the goal hero, netting after 68 minutes as Ascoli's winless start continued.

Fiorentina 1-0 Parma
Adrian Mutu put one over his former employers as Fiorentina managed to pick up their first three points of the season and reduce their arrears at the foot of the Serie A table. The evening ended on a sour note however, as Luca Toni was sent-off in the final minute of the game after a senseless off-the-ball altercation with Massimo Paci. The victory was crucial for Fiorentina whose prospects of survival - after beginning the season with a 19 point deficit - were looking increasingly slim following two defeats in the opening two fixtures.

Chievo 0-1 Lazio
Massimo Oddo's 62nd-minute penalty was enough for Lazio to clinch their first win of the Serie A campaign and start their bid of clawing back deducted points. Having started the season on minus 11 points, the Biancoceleste had so far failed to make inroads on quashing their penalty, losing both of their opening two games of the campaign, most recently Sunday's 2-1 defeat to Palermo. Chievo coach Beppe Pillon has already attempted to rest players in a cramped fixture calendar, but a red card for De Oliveira Luciano at the weekend reduced his options against Lazio. The strains of the season have certainly started to show on his side, who are yet to win a competitive game and are already close to going out of the UEFA Cup following a 2-0 loss to Braga.

Messina 2-0 Reggina
Messina's strong start to the season continued as a Christian Rigano brace gave them victory over local rivals Reggina in the Derby dello Stretto. Messina had expected to start this season in Serie B, but Juve's demotion gave them a reprieve and they are taking full advantage as this victory moves them to second in the table. Even if this season does turn into the relegation battle most pundits were predicting, the early points they have collected are likely to prove invaluable. Messina and Reggio de Calabria are separated by the Strait of Messina which cuts between Sicily and mainland Italy, but despite the small distance involved, it is likely to be a long ferry ride home for Reggina. They were on the other end of the match-fixing scandal, and were deducted 15 points for their own actions. This is their second defeat of the season already, leaving them one place off the bottom of the table on -12 points.

Torino 1-2 Siena
Mario Frick scored twice in the first half to down struggling Torino 2-1 and earn Siena their second league win of the season. The Liechtenstein striker got the visitors off to a flying start, capitalising on some suspect defending to open the scoring after just four minutes, before assuring victory with his second of the game 10 minutes before half time. Former Lazio striker Roberto Muzzi got one back for the hosts five minutes later, but despite a desperate late surge on the Siena goal, Alberto Zaccheroni's side slumped to their second defeat in three games and are now just five places off the bottom of the table.

Sampdoria 3-3 Udinese
Sampdoria and Udinese shared the spoils in a dramatic 3-3 draw in Genoa. The visitors raced into a three-goal lead in the first half but the home side showed great resilience to come back into the game and salvage a point. Antonio Di Natale opened the scoring after just four minutes, and a dominant Udinese were three up at the interval thanks to further goals from Vincenzo Iaquinta (16) and Gyan Asamoah (43). A goal from Gennaro Delvecchio just a minute before the break altered the complexion of the game completely, however. The home side had a renewed desire about them in the second half and Sergio Volpi's 68th-minute strike gave them hope of completing a remarkable comeback. That hope was realised as Francesco Flachi pulled Samp level in the 78th minute, but there was to be no fairytale winner as fatigue set in..

Cagliari 2-2 Livorno
Cagliari earned their first point of the season after a breathless 2-2 draw with Livorno as former coach Daniele Arrigoni returned to haunt the Isolani. After guiding the Sardinians to a more than respectable 10th-place finish in 2005, Arrigoni left for Torino, but was back in Cagliari for the second game of the season after Torino went bankrupt. He lasted just 90 minutes before being given the chop, however, due to the fans' protests over his walking out on the club months earlier. Now with Livorno, it was Arrigoni who was celebrating after just seven minutes of his return to the Stadio Sant'Elia. Ibrahima Bakayoko sweeped home from close range to give the visiotors the lead, but the home side fought back to level through defender Michele Ferri. Cagliari started the second half better and were rewarded after 56 minutes when David Suazo gave them the lead for the first time. However, Arrigoni was not to be denied on his return and his side clawed themselves level just four minutes later after a scramble in the penalty area. Tomas Danilevicius was adjudged to have been pushed and the Lithuanian picked himself up to calmly convert the penalty and give both sides a share of the points.

Atalanta 0-0 Empoli
Nicola Ventola missed a late penalty as Atalanta and Empoli continued their unbeaten starts to the new Serie A season with a goalless draw at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia. Ventola returned from injury to lead the line for the home side but failed to continue his superb scoring record as the Nerazzurri were held to their second consecutive 0-0 draw thanks to a heroic performance from Empoli goalkeeper Daniele Balli. Luca Ariatti was brought down by Nicola Ascoli in the 85th minute and despite protestations that the foul was outside the referee gave the penalty. Atalanta had won each of the four games they had played this season with Ventola in their ranks - including Coppa Italia ties - and the former Inter man had netted in each. However, faced with the prospect of hitting the club's 1,000th goal on home soil in Serie A, Ventola saw his placed spot-kick well saved by Balli in the Empoli goal.