Lazio returned to the top of the Italian Serie A table on Tuesday after recording an emphatic 6-2 victory over 10-man Sassuolo at the MAPEI Stadium, despite missing two penalties in the second half.
The victory extended Lazio’s unbeaten league run to nine matches this season, although reigning champions Inter Milan could reclaim the top spot when they face Venezia on Wednesday.
The visitors made a flying start as Kenneth Taylor opened the scoring just two minutes into the encounter. Sassuolo responded through Kristian Thorstvedt, who finished off a precise pass from Josh Doig to restore parity.
Lazio quickly regained control, with Gustav Isaksen scoring from a tight angle before Romano Floriani Mussolini added another in the 16th minute to give the visitors a 3-1 advantage.
Sassuolo’s chances of recovering suffered a major setback shortly after the half-hour mark when Thorstvedt received a straight red card for a late challenge on Mattia Zaccagni.
Sebastiano Esposito reduced the deficit for the hosts, but Zaccagni restored Lazio’s two-goal cushion just before half-time.
Lazio continued their attacking dominance after the break and earned a penalty when Simone Cinquegrano handled Zaccagni’s effort inside the box.
However, the Lazio captain failed to convert as goalkeeper Stefano Turati saved his spot-kick.
Tijjani Noslin extended the visitors’ lead in the 55th minute, curling a long-range effort into the bottom-right corner beyond Turati’s reach.
Lazio had another opportunity to increase their advantage from the penalty spot after Isaksen was brought down by Duje Caleta-Car, but Turati again came to Sassuolo’s rescue by denying Davide Frattesi.
Noslin eventually completed his brace with another impressive long-range strike, finding the top-right corner to make it 6-2 and cap a dominant performance from Maurizio Sarri’s men.
Lazio had further chances to widen the margin, but Matteo Cancellieri missed two late opportunities, first heading wide from close range before seeing his subsequent effort blocked inside the six-yard box.
The result strengthened Lazio’s position in the title race, with the club remaining unbeaten after nine league matches.
It was the fifth time in their history that they had achieved such a start, and the first since the 1999/2000 campaign, when they went on to win the Scudetto.
Captain Zaccagni also delivered an impressive performance despite his missed penalty, scoring once and providing two assists while creating four chances during the encounter.
Lazio will hope to maintain their momentum as they pursue their first league title since 2000, with the absence of European competition potentially giving Sarri’s squad an advantage in their domestic campaign.
