Empoli had a man sent off, ended the game with nine men and saw the referee substituted due to injury, but Fiorentina failed to make the most of it and came away with only a point.
This was a local derby between Tuscan rivals and the Viola were distracted by the Europa Conference League play-offs with FC Twente, having won 2-1 on Thursday and preparing for the second leg next week. With that in mind, Vincenzo Italiano made several changes, including Dodo’s first start. Lorenzo Tonelli and Gaetano Castrovilli were long-term absentees, with Igor still on the treatment table too.
Pierluigi Gollini had to rush off his line to close down Sam Lammers in the opening minute, but the visitors saw much more of the ball and Jonathan Ikone had penalty appeals waved away for a Fabiano Parisi shirt tug.
Giacomo Bonaventura’s trademark scorcher skimmed the far top corner and Ikone was booked for wiping out Guglielmo Vicario with a very late tackle.
Vicario was back in action and got something on the Ikone finish from an Aleksa Terzic cross, deflecting it inches wide.
Empoli really should’ve taken the lead on the stroke of half-time when Parisi whipped in a cross, but Mattia Destro incredibly turned the diving header wide from six yards.
Destro wasted another big chance after the restart, as did Ikone, but play halted on 53 minutes when referee Matteo Marchetti picked up a muscular injury. He could not continue, so swapped places with the fourth official, Juan Luca Sacchi.
Within four minutes of play restarting, the new referee was called to a VAR review and judged Sebastiano Luperto’s rugby tackle on Jovic in midfield to be worthy of a red card rather than yellow. It was a long way off the goal, but Luperto made no attempt to play the ball.
There was more controversy, as Riccardo Sottil was booked for dissent when asking for a penalty in the Nicolas Haas tangle, but VAR opted not to call the referee for another on-field review, also because there might’ve been a handling offence.
Cambiaghi had muscular problems in stoppages, so Empoli ended the game with nine men, but still Fiorentina barely got a shot on target.
Alfred Duncan hit the volley on a Nico Gonzalez knockdown, but Ardian Ismajli flung himself in the way like a human shield.
Rolando Mandragora’s long-range scorcher was fingertipped over the bar by Vicario.
Empoli 0-0 Fiorentina
Sent off: Luperto 66 (E)