Lazio returned to winning ways in Serie A following a disheartening 3-0 loss to bitter rivals Roma by ensuring a 2-1 home triumph over in-form Sassuolo. Maurizio Sarri’s men came out on top of Saturday’s action-packed affair at the Stadio Olimpico to reignite their hopes of securing a top-six finish.
The Biancocelesti enjoyed a flying start to the game as Felipe Andreson came close to breaking the deadlock only two minutes in. However, Sassuolo replied through Hamed Traore and Gianluca Scamacca in the next ten minutes, though none managed to find the net from promising opportunities.
Alessio Dionisi’s men were brutally punished for wasted chances in the 17th minute as Manuel Lazzari danced his way past Sassuolo defenders before unleashing a devastating effort from the edge of the box to fire Lazio 1-0 up. Despite several decent chances on both ends, the scoreline remained intact at half-time.
Sassuolo’s hopes of extending a two-game winning run over Lazio faded only moments into the second half. Highly-rated midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was fastest to react and flick Luis Alberto’s low free-kick delivery into the net to double his side’s lead and put the encounter beyond doubt.
Seemingly satisfied with a two-goal cushion, Lazio decided to slow down the tempo and control possession, yet Sassuolo had other plans. Traore turned home Luigi Samele’s wonder ball in the dying moments. However, it was nothing more than a consolation goal for the Neroverdi, who saw their six-match unbeaten Serie A streak come to a halt (W4, D2).
Sarri heaped praise on his players in the aftermath, insisting Lazio responded to the abovementioned defeat to Roma with ‘attitude.’
“I had hoped to see this attitude. We reacted well, it wasn’t easy because the derby really was weighing on us heavily, certainly weighing on me, so there was no guarantee we’d play like this,” he told DAZN, as relayed by TUTTOmercatoWEB.
“Fortunately, we played at a very high level against a Sassuolo side that this season has won away to Juventus, Inter and Milan. We allowed them very little, one chance in the first half, two in the second. We could comfortably have won 4-1 or 5-1 today.”