Inter 4-1 Livorno
Zlatan Ibrahimovic ended his nine-match goalscoring drought as Internazionale stormed to the top of Serie A with a four goal thumping of high-flying Livorno on Wednesday evening. It was a result rarely in doubt, unlike Ibrahimovic's form, and looked likely from the second minute when Marc Pfertzel deflected Alvaro Recoba's cross into his own net. And, as if to answer coach Roberto Mancini's calls for a better performance from his men, the hosts were two up within the opening 15 minutes, Marco Materazzi heading past Marco Amelia. Livorno pulled one back on 70 minutes through Cristiano Lucarelli, but the champions re-established their two goal cushion when Ibrahimovic, urged by his coach to locate his scoring touch, blasted home a minute later. Julio Cruz then added a fourth with 13 minutes remaining to send the Nerazzurri to the top of the table on goal difference.
Palermo 2-1 Messina
Palermo's excellent start to the season continued with a comeback victory over fellow Sicilians Messina. Christian Rigano put the visitors from the east of the island in the lead after six minutes. However, Cristian Zaccardo equalised before David Di Michele's penalty sealed victory for the Rosaneri, who stay level on points at the top of Serie A with Inter ahead of Sunday's massive clash at Fiorentina.
Chievo 0-1 Milan
Marek Jankulovski's first-half strike gave AC Milan a narrow victory over Chievo in Verona. The Rossoneri midfielder fired past goalkeeper Vincenzo Sicignano as his team won for the first time in five league games. The result will be a boost ahead of this weekend's Milan derby against Inter, especially after the 2-0 home defeat against Palermo at the weekend.
Roma 2-2 Ascoli
Philippe Mexes equalised one minute from time as title-chasing Roma salvaged a point against Ascoli at the Stadio Olimpico. Mexes struck just when Ascoli thought they had secured their first victory of the season to cancel out Sasa Bjelanovic's 65th-minute effort. Roma playmaker Francesco Totti had already had a chance to equalise but his penalty kick was superbly saved by goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca. Earlier, former Roma striker Marco Delvecchio opened the scoring midway through the first half for the visitors before Giallorossi captain Totti's free-kick made it 1-1 shortly after the re-start.
Torino 0-1 Fiorentina
Fiorentina overcame the absence of top scorer Luca Toni to secure a narrow victory over Torino. Martin Jorgensen provided the only goal of the game in the 13th minute to silence the Stadio Olimpico and make sure the Viola clinched their fourth win in a row. The triumph means that the visitors are now six points adrift of Chievo, who occupy the final position of safety.
Sampdoria 2-0 Lazio
Sampdoria recovered from Sunday's 3-2 defeat to Atalanta to beat nine-man Lazio at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris. Fabio Quagliarella's two goals were not enough in Bergamo but his opener in the 53rd minute set Samp on the way against the Romans. The home side had three appeals for a penalty and were finally rewarded with a spot-kick in the 75th minute, and Sergio Volpi made sure of the win by tucking the ball home. Lazio had both Guglielmo Stendardo and Goran Pandev sent off and Samp easily defended a two-goal lead - something they failed to do against Atalanta. Furthermore, they kept a clean sheet for the first time all season as they picked up three points.
Atalanta 3-3 Cagliari
High-flying Atalanta came back from two goals down against Cagliari to snatch a point in a thrilling clash at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia. Defender Simone Loria had initially given the home side the lead after only four minutes, only for Paolo Bianco to equalise almost straight away. Antonio D'Agostino celebrated his recall to the starting line-up by giving the away side a half-time lead. David Suazo then added a third for the visitors from the penalty spot after the break, but goals from Nicola Ventola and Christiano Doni shattered the Rossoblu's dreams of a first league win of the season.
Empoli 1-1 Udinese
Udinese lost some ground on the Serie A leaders after they were held by a determined Empoli. Udinese coach Giovanni Galeone has insisted his team can finish fourth at least in Serie A and they still occupy that spot despite losing two points. When Christian Obodo gave them a second-half lead it looked as though they might take all three points, but Davide Matteini equalised just four minutes later for the team from Tuscany. In truth, only an excellent goalkeeping performance by Udinese's Morgan De Sanctis prevented Empoli from completing the job.
Reggina 3-2 Parma
Parma's mini-revival was brought to an abrupt halt as bottom club Reggina continued their fine home form to take another step towards putting themselves back in the black. In an open game at the Stadio Oreste Granillo, it was the hosts who took the lead through Nicola Amoruso but Igor Budan equalised five minutes later. Parma's Matteo Contini was dismissed after 72 minutes, leaving Rolando Bianchi and Amoruso to take advantage soon after. But Andrea Gasbarroni pulled one back five minutes from time and Giacomo Tedesco also saw red to ensure a nervy finish for the hosts.
Siena 1-1 Catania
A last-gasp goal from substitute Giorgio Corona earned Catania a share of the spoils in Siena and denied the home side a top-four place in Serie A. Mario Beretta's men have lost just once so far this season and looked to be heading for another three points when Mario Frick opened the scoring just after the interval. But Corona spoiled the party with an equaliser three minutes into injury time to keep the newly-promoted Sicilians well placed in mid-table.
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