Lazio worked hard to pick up all three points in a tense 2-0 win over Serie A strugglers Sassuolo.
Maurizio Sarri’s side had started the new year in poor fashion, dropping points from winning positions in both of their opening two games. The Biancocelesti went 1-0 up over Lecce before slumping to a 2-1 loss, and allowed Empoli to steal a point after initially taking a 2-0 lead.
It’s been a disastrous season for Sassuolo, who sit 16th in the Serie A table. They’ve only won four of their 17 outings and had lost four of their last five heading into the clash with Lazio, putting further pressure on Alessio Dionisi and his squad.
The two teams fought in a balance and fair first half at the Mapei Stadium, even after Lazio lost talismanic striker Ciro Immobile to a concerning thigh issue after just 15 minutes.
In the dying minutes of the half, the Biancocelesti were awarded a penalty after a Jeremy Toljan handball blocked a Sergej Milinkovic-Savic header. Mattia Zaccagni made no mistake from the penalty spot, scoring to put his team 1-0 up.
A tense second half followed, with both sides making regular forays into the final third. The home side had a little more life after the half time break but continued their woes in front of goal, allowing Lazio to hold onto their 1-0 lead. Felipe Anderson capped off the victory in the dying minutes of the match, scoring to confirm the win for the Roman outfit.
It was an important result for Sarri and his squad, who showed some resilience after a tough start to the year. For Sassuolo, things are starting to grow concerning and they’ll be desperate to put some more points on the board in the coming weeks.