In the penultimate match of Round 16, Empoli extended their tremendous start of the season with another come-from-behind victory. The Tuscan side moved to 23 points, 13 above of the relegation zone. Udinese had a strong first half but evaporated after intermission. They have won just once in the past 13 matches, although they drew a bunch of times.
The contest was back-and-forth in the first half, with neither team gaining the upper hand. Udinese broke the deadlock after 22 minutes. Gerard Deulofeu and Isaac Success combined for a lovely triangle in the box, and the Spaniard slotted it home with a curled shot. Empoli did not fully manage to react despite trying to rev up.
The Azzurri completely turned things around after halftime. It took them just five minutes to equalize. Petar Stojanovic got the ball at the edge of the box, glided past two opponents, and found the target with a sharp effort. The Friuliani almost regained the lead immediately. Success escaped past the offside trap and chipped it over Guglielmo Vicario. However, his shot was too weak, and Mattia Viti cleared it before the goal-line.
At that point, Empoli fully took control of the match. They completed their comeback at the 60th minute. Fabiano Parisi energetically picked his way to the baseline and dished a square ball, Bram Nuytinck deflected it, and Nedim Bajrami tucked it home.
Despite a few subs, the Bianconeri could generate major chances. That was not the case for the home team, which continued to be highly effective and more dynamic. After wasting one, Andrea Pinamonti iced the game with 12 minutes to go with a potent shot from close range after a quality interplay with Nedim Bajrami.