Serie A | Empoli 2-1 Salernitana: Tuscans practically safe

Empoli ran some risks late on, but managed to end Salernitana’s 10-match unbeaten run and definitively break away from the relegation zone.

Both teams were on 35 points going into this game and knew a win would probably propel them to safety, but the drop zone was tightening up behind them. Empoli ended their crisis with a 3-1 win over Bologna, while Paulo Sousa’s side were unbeaten in 10 after dramatic draws with Milan, Inter, Napoli and Fiorentina.

Koni De Winter was the only absentee for the hosts, while Domagoj Bradaric was suspended with Antonio Candreva, Federico Fazio, Norbert Gyomber and Domen Crnigoj injured.

Francesco Caputo was left criminally unmarked at the back post on a corner, but Guillermo Ochoa kept him out with a great reaction save.

The Mexico international goalkeeper also flew to push a Nicolò Cambiaghi scorcher over the bar and the forward got the opener eventually with a well-taken diving header from 10 yards on Tyronne Ebuehi’s cross from the right.

Razvan Marin went on a strong run and went down in the box, but Massimo Lovato seemed to get a toe to the ball first.

Empoli had a series of opportunities in a row of corners, Flavius Daniliuc with a desperate block on the line from Caputo, then Ebuehi’s looping header thumping the crossbar.

They had the ball in the net and the offside flag was up, but that decision was reversed after a very long VAR check because a Salernitana player had knocked down the corner, so Ebuehi and scorer Caputo were onside.

Parisi skimmed the upright from distance, but Salernitana got back into it late on when Guglielmo Vicario parried the Grigoris Kastanos strike, but could do nothing on the Krzysztof Piatek rebound from a tricky angle.

Marko Pjaca thought he’d sealed it with a third for Empoli, a ferocious curler into the far top corner, but it was disallowed for Marin’s offside in the build-up.

Salernitana pushed throughout stoppages, as Pasquale Mazzocchi’s strike from the edge of the box flashed just wide on a cleared corner.

Empoli 2-1 Salernitana

Cambiaghi 37 (E), Caputo 66 (E), Piatek 85 (S)