Serie A - Week 19: Sunday Review

AC Milan kept up the pressure on Serie A table-toppers and city rivals Inter with a comprehensive 3-0 win at out-of-sorts Juventus. Earlier in the day in-form Napoli moved back into fourth spot while Fiorentina and Palermo continued their impressive recent runs.

Juventus 0-3 Milan
AC Milan kept up the pressure on city rivals Inter with a 3-0 win away to Juventus - a result which turns the heat firmly on home coach Ciro Ferrara. Alessandro Nesta put Milan ahead on the half-hour mark with Ronaldinho adding a second after 72 minutes as Juve struggled to produce a performance that would ease the calls for Ferrara's head. Another goal from Ronaldinho two minutes from time, coming amid protests from the home fans, sealed the win for the Rossoneri - now eight points behind Inter with a game in hand.

Napoli 1-0 Sampdoria
Napoli remain firmly in the hunt for Champions League football after substitute German Denis came off the bench to score the winner against Sampdoria. Denis headed home after 71 minutes to move Napoli on to 33 points and right into contention for a place in next year's elite European club competition. Samp put up a strong fight but they could not find the goals necessary to prevent former coach Walter Mazzarri's unbeaten run at Napoli extend to 12 games. The Partenopei sit fourth in Serie A, level on points with third-place Juventus.

Fiorentina 2-1 Bari
Substitute Jose Castillo struck the winning goal for Fiorentina as the Viola came from behind against Bari to prevail 2-1 and climb to sixth in Serie A. Castillo struck the winner after 74 minutes but he was shown a red card 10 minutes from time, with Bari's Sergio Almiron already dismissed for two bookings. Adrian Mutu had earlier cancelled out Bari's 25th minute opener from Paulo Barreto. Cesare Prandelli's men are now just three points off a Champions League spot, with a game in hand.

Palermo 1-0 Atalanta
Palermo extended their unbeaten Serie A run to five games with a narrow 1-0 victory over relegation-threatened Atalanta, who had Valter Bonacina on the bench as caretaker coach. Edinson Cavani netted the only goal from the penalty spot after he was brought down by Leonardo Talamonti. The visitors, who are seeking their third coach of the campaign after Antonio Conte parted company this week, finished the contest with 10 men as Gyorgy Garics was sent off in second-half stoppage time for a second bookable offence. The outcome leaves Atalanta three points adrift of safety while Palermo are within three points off a Champions League spot.

Bologna 0-1 Cagliari
Alessandro Matri struck the winner as Cagliari ended the rot on the road by edging strugglers Bologna 1-0 at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara. Matri's ninth strike of the season after 66 minutes was enough to see the Sardinian outfit record their first win on their travels since late October. The outcome lifts Cagliari to ninth in the standings and leaves Bologna in 17th position, one point clear of the drop zone.

Genoa 2-0 Catania
Genoa jumped above city rivals Sampdoria in the Serie A table thanks to a routine 2-0 win over 10-man Catania at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris. The home side struggled to get into the game until Giuseppe Bellusci was sent off for the visitors after 28 minutes. Genoa went ahead through Giandomenico Mesto eight minutes later with Giuseppe Sculli sealing their win after 71 minutes before Catania coach Sinisa Mihajlovic was also sent to the stands. Despite sitting in midtable, Genoa are just three points away from the European spots.

Livorno 2-1 Parma
Livorno eased their fears of relegation from Serie A with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Parma at the Stadio Armando Picchi. Francesco Tavano gave the home side the lead midway through the first period and veteran forward Cristiano Lucarelli doubled their advantage 17 minutes into the second half. Blerim Dzemaili pulled one back for the visitors six minutes later but Livorno held on as Francesco Guidolin's side ran out of steam. Parma dropped to eighth with their third consecutive defeat, while Livorno are now six points clear of the bottom three.

Udinese 1-1 Lazio
Udinese halted a worrying run of defeats but could not claim all three Serie A points as Lazio held on for a 1-1 draw at the Stadio Friuli. Gianni De Biasi's side went into the game having lost five of their last six games following their midweek defeat by Bari and got off to another miserable start as recent new signing Sergio Floccari put Lazio ahead after 16 minutes with his third goal in two games. But Antonio Di Natale's free-kick levelled matters 11 minutes later and neither side could find a winner in an absorbing, even game.

SERIE A REVIEW:
[Saturday 9 January] - [Sunday 10 January]