Empoli plunged Verona further into crisis with a dominant 4-1 performance at the Bentegodi, including Sebastiano Esposito’s brace.
This was a big relegation battle, particularly for the hosts who had lost six of their last seven games. Diego Coppola was suspended, with Ondrej Duda, Juan Manuel Cruz and Martin Frese injured. Empoli knocked Fiorentina out of the Coppa Italia on penalties midweek, but Nicolas Haas, Alberto Grassi, Tyronne Ebuehi, Jacopo Fazzini, Szymon Zurkowski and Saba Sazonov were on the treatment table.
See how it unfolded on the Liveblog.
It was a bad start for the Tuscans, because within 10 minutes Pietro Pellegri had landed awkwardly on his knee and immediately asked to be substituted.
Moments later, Dani Silva was rescued from a straight red card for his chest-high boot on Lorenzo Colombo because he had his eyes on the ball and tried to pull out when realising the striker was so close.
Empoli took the lead in curious circumstances, as Sebastiano Esposito saw two cross-shots charged down in quick succession, the second of them using the deflection off Giangiacomo Magnani to loop over a helpless Lorenzo Montipò into the far top corner.
Just three minutes later, it was 2-0, as Tino Anjorin robbed Reda Belahyane in midfield and spread it to the right for Esposito, who surprised the goalkeeper drilling low into the near bottom corner for his first Serie A brace.
There was a spot of luck for Empoli on the third goal too, because Liberato Cacace’s low drive took a deflection off Jackson Tchatchoua to loop over Montipò. It nonetheless counts as the New Zealand international’s first Serie A goal.
Verona woke up to pull one back, Tchatchoua getting down the right to roll across for Casper Tengstedt to sweep in first-time to the near bottom corner.
Devis Vasquez had his gloves stung at the near post by Toma Suslov, but Empoli restored their three-goal cushion when an initial free kick was charged down by the wall, coming back to Colombo for a chest and half-volley low from outside the area.
Empoli countered on a Verona corner with Anjorin, who went down in a one-on-one situation with Montipò. The referee had awarded a penalty, but revoked it following the VAR On-Field Review, as the goalkeeper got his hands to the ball.
Anjorin tried again on the counter, curling just wide of the far top corner, while Emmanuel Gyasi failed to connect with a Colombo roll across from six yards.
Verona also threatened, Daniel Mosquera’s angled drive skimming the upright after an Abdou Harroui nutmeg on Mattia Viti.
Emmanuel Ekong’s curler was also just wide of the far top corner and Mosquera prodded over from close range after Vasquez flapped at a Darko Lazovic cross.
There would’ve been a fifth late on if not for Montipo’ palming the Luca Marianucci screamer out of the top corner, while Daniele Ghilardi charged down the Colombo tap-in from point-blank range with his face.
Verona 1-4 Empoli
Esposito 16, 19 (E), Cacace 32 (E), Tengstedt 36 (V), Colombo 42 (E)
Player statistic
| Dani Silva |  |
12' | ||
| 16' |  |
Sebastiano Esposito | ||
| 19' | |
Sebastiano Esposito (Assist: Tino Anjorin) | ||
| 32' | |
Liberato Cacace (Assist: Youssef Maleh) | ||
| Casper Tengstedt (Assist: Jackson Tchatchoua) |
|
35' | ||
| Daniele Ghilardi | |
40' | ||
| 42' | |
Lorenzo Colombo |
| 74' | |
Youssef Maleh | ||
| 90+2' | |
Liam Henderson |
Match statistic
