MILAN: Felipe Anderson hit a first-half wonder strike and set up Miroslav Klose for Lazio's second in a 3-0 win over Sassuolo as the Biancocelesti closed to within two points of third-placed Napoli in Italy's Serie A on Sunday.
Elsewhere, Luis Muriel and Stefano Okaka hit second-half goals as Sampdoria ended a five-game winless streak at Atalanta, while a close-range header from Spanish striker Rodriguez gave relegation candidates Cesena a useful 1-0 win over Udinese.
Genoa v Parma was postponed as the visitors, whose game against Udinese last week was also suspended, continue to suffer from the financial struggles that could see the club's future decided by a bankruptcy hearing later this month.
Paulo Dybala starred for Palermo but the Sicilians failed to score in a league game for only the second time this season after being held to a scoreless draw by Empoli.
Leaders Juventus will look to take their lead over Roma to 12 points when they meet in the Italian capital on Monday, but in the meantime the race for the third and last Champions League qualifying spot is heating up.
Lazio travelled to the Mapei Stadium looking for their third win on the trot and Anderson broke the deadlock in style on the stroke of half-time with a superb curling strike that beat Andrea Consigli at the keeper's top right hand corner.
It was the 21-year-old's sixth league goal this season and on 70 minutes the Brazilian forward turned provider with a fine delivery from the right for Klose to head past Consigli for his.
Lazio tripled their lead moments later after Anderon's strike from just outside the area ricocheted before landing kindly for Manolo Parolo to feint and then dink the ball past Consigli.
Lazio remain fourth but are now two points behind Napoli ahead of their trip to Torino for Sunday's late game.
Coach Stefano Pioli paid tribute to his ambitious side but told Sky Sport: "We played well and we deserved the win but we put ourselves at risk on occasions in defence when we really should have put the game beyond doubt in the opening half."
He added: "I'm fortunate to be coaching a squad that is committed and attentive. I want to steer this side into port, we'll see where we end up at the end of the season."
Fiorentina, in fifth and now four points behind Lazio, travel to Inter later Sunday looking to stretch their run of games without defeat to eight.
Sampdoria remain in sixth place but are now on the same points as Fiorentina after second-half strikes by Muriel and Okaka ended a five-game winless run by Sinisa Mihajlovic's men.
Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto'o saw a speculative effort go wide early on but Atalanta took a first-half lead thanks to Guglielmo Stendardo's tap-in at the back post on the quarter-hour.
Muriel by far looked Sampdoria's best player and the Colombian finally pulled the visitors level with a finely-taken half-volley on 70 minutes.
Muriel started the move deep in midfield and after his deflected ball found Okaka, the Colombian pounced on the Italian's return pass to beat Marco Sportiello from the left side of the area.
Okaka secured the points seven minutes later when he ran in to tap home the rebound after Sportiello spilled Eto'o's strike from the edge of the area.
Mihajlovic told Mediaset it was a game of two halves: "I'm happy for the win, but we really showed two sides of ourselves.
"In the first half we gifted them far too much and thankfully, in the second, we turned our whole game around."
Earlier, Luca Toni and Juanito Gomez struck either side of half-time to help Verona to a 2-1 win at struggling Cagliari, who saw Daniele Conti hit a late consolation from a free kick on the edge of the area.
The win moved Verona eight points clear of the drop zone, with Cagliari - third from bottom - now just one point ahead of second-from-bottom Cesena.
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