Salernitana struck twice in the opening six minutes and inflicting a humiliating home defeat on Sampdoria, keeping the relegation battle very much alive.
This was a real relegation dogfight, as Samp were hovering dangerously above the drop zone, while Salernitana were still rock bottom with two games in hand. Sebastian Giovinco and Manolo Gabbiadini were still out of action, while the visitors missed Mamadou Coulibaly and Lys Mousset, but Federico Fazio, Diego Perotti and Emiliano Bonazzoli returned.
It took just four minutes to break the deadlock with Salernitana going in front, as a corner found Fazio’s towering header at the back post.
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Samp were in shock and shaken again moments later, as Ederson ran onto a flicked-on header, burst past two defenders and beat Emil Audero at the near post for 2-0.
It was only the second time that Salernitana had scored two Serie A goals in the opening 10 minutes of a match, the other being in 1948.
After Emiliano Bonazzoli and Fabio Quagliarella chances, Francesco Caputo pulled one back after Salernitana lost the ball in midfield, a lucky ricochet sending him through to score at the near post.
Bonazzoli’s glancing header flashed inches past the upright and Ederson blasted one onto the roof of the net from distance.
Quagliarella fired over under pressure from Fazio, while Luca Ranieri volleyed off target from a tricky angle and Kastanos hit a screamer just wide.
Sepe needed two attempts to smother both the Caputo cross-shot and follow-up, but sustained an injury during the move and made way for Vid Belec.
Caputo’s glancing header whistled off target from an Antonio Candreva cross, sealing a humiliating home defeat and one that keeps Samp very much in the frame for relegation.
Sampdoria 1-2 Salernitana
Fazio 4 (Sal), Ederson 6 (Sal), Caputo 32 (Sam)