Lazio kickstarted their momentum after a recent drop in form with a strong and important 2-0 win over Sassuolo.
Maurizio Sarri’s side came into the 33rd matchday of the season in second in the table, but only had a slight margin for error after picking up back-to-back losses to Torino and Inter.
Pressure is high in the race for a top four finish and president Claudio Lotito has made it clear that qualification to the Champions League is the only thing that matters now.
For Sassuolo, they’ve long since recovered from their dangerous position near the relegation zone and sit comfortably in the mid-table, giving them little to play for in the final stages of this season.
Lazio started the match at the Stadio Olimpico on the front foot and immediately began putting Sassuolo under pressure, seemingly taking an early lead after seven minutes thanks to talismanic striker Ciro Immobile.
Unfortunately for the Biancocelesti captain, a VAR check ruled him offside in the build-up, returning the game to a goalless state, much to the chagrin of the home side.
Maurizio Sarri’s side maintained this early pressure after took the lead after 14 minutes through Felipe Anderson, who deftly controlled a beautifully floated pass from Marcos Antonio before smashing it past Andrea Consigli, making it 1-0.
Sassuolo began to grow into the game a little more after this and had a few close chances in the remainder of the first half, but were unable to find the equaliser.
The Neroverdi continued to push for a leveller in the second half but good defending and a number of stops by Ivan Provedel denied them, allowing Lazio to hold onto their slim 1-0 lead.
In the dying minutes of the match, a quick counter attack allowed Mattia Zaccagni to run into the Sassuolo penalty area before squaring the ball to Toma Basic, who made no mistake from around six yards out to close out the game for the Biancocelesti.
The victory keeps Lazio second in the league table with five games left to play, keeping things tense for the final stages of this season.
