Winners and Losers from Serie a Week 3
The third round of Serie A matches were completed on Sunday and it's Juventus and Roma sitting top of the table still with nine points each from three games.
Just two draws in the 10 matches played ensured the table got a bit of a shake up, even though there were none of the kinds of high-scoring encounters of the previous matchday.
Most games were tight affairs, with Roma's 2-0 win over Cagliari providing the biggest winning margin of the weekend.
Here are the winners and losers of Week 3 of Serie A.
Winner: Alessandro Florenzi
1 of 7
The enduring image of this round of Serie A matches will surely be that of Roma attacker Alessandro Florenzi scoring in his side's 2-0 win over Cagliari then climbing up into the stands to hug his grandmother.
The Giallorossi will be delighted with the victory which keeps them on top of the table with Juventus, and Florenzi's Nonna will never forget her first trip to the stadium.
The player explained why he made the gesture to Sky Sport Italia following the game, as reported by John-Paul Tooth of Goal.com:
"She is 82 and had never been to the stadium before.
This goal is for her.
After I played for Italy, she told me that she’d come to the stadium and I would score.
My family gave me this passion for football, I want to share my joy with everyone.
"
Losers: Napoli
2 of 7
Last season Napoli finished third in the Italian championship but they are in danger of rapidly falling off the pace if they continue to suffer poor results in the early part of 2014-15.
The Partenopei lost 1-0 away to Udinese on Sunday, which left them with just three points from three games. They already trail Juventus and Roma by six points.
Napoli started the game slowly but still did not have enough left in the tank to find an equaliser when the Zebras went ahead through Danilo with 19 minutes to go.
Rafael Benitez's job may not be under threat quite yet but he must somehow endeavour to turn the club's fortunes around as quickly as possible before the domestic season becomes a write-off.
Winners: Palermo
3 of 7
They may still be languishing just above the relegation zone in 16th place but Palermo's display in their 1-1 draw with Inter Milan was encouraging enough to suggest they are good enough to avoid the drop this season.
Two draws and a loss from three games is not a good result, however the Sicilian team can consider themselves unlucky not to have earned all three points against a Nerazzurri side who had hammered Sassuolo 7-0 the week before.
Palermo dominated for much of the first half and went ahead through Franco Vazquez before conceding an equaliser to the talented Mateo Kovacic.
The second half was a close-run affair, with both sides creating a handful of chances without either being able to find a winner.
Giuseppe Iachini's side have a tough away trip to a wounded Napoli during the week but will be hoping to start gaining points and working their way up the Serie A ladder over the next few rounds.
Loser: Nemanja Vidic
4 of 7
Aside from one glaring mistake in the opening few minutes, Nemanja Vidic played a solid game for Inter against Palermo; he was strong in the air, always in the right place at the right time and firm in the tackle.
Unfortunately, that one mistake had a huge bearing on the game.
The Nerazzurri were forced to play catch up after Vidic dallied on the ball in his own box before being pick-pocketed by Vazquez, who promptly guided the ball past Samir Handanovic to give the southerners a third-minute lead.
Considering that Vidic conceded a penalty and was sent off in his only other Serie A game to date, the rugged Serb probably feels he owes Inter fans a great many flawless performances over the rest of the campaign.
Winner: Massimiliano Allegri
5 of 7
Coming into one of the toughest gigs in Italian football, Massimiliano Allegri has begun his Juventus coaching career in fine style.
With Juve's 1-0 win over a previously unbeaten Milan side thanks to a Carlos Tevez strike, the manager can point to a perfect domestic record thus far for the black and whites.
Though it can hardly be said that the team are playing stunning football, Allegri will be extremely pleased that they are yet to concede a goal in three Serie A matches and one Champions League clash.
Losers: Lazio
6 of 7
The news was all bad for Lazio as they fell to their second defeat of the campaign and suffered a hat-trick of injuries to boot.
The Roman club went down 1-0 to Genoa courtesy of a late Mauricio Pinilla strike and have now fallen to 12th in the table.
And they are set to lose Santiago Gentiletti for at least six months after the defender suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his left knee and now must undergo surgery.
Fellow Argentine Lucas Biglia also faces time on the sidelines with an infraction of a metatarsal in his right foot, while Dusan Basta left the field with heavy bruising in his right hand.
The next few weeks will be a true test of character for Lazio as they attempt to fight their way to a higher table position.
Winners: Hellas Verona
7 of 7
With a battling 1-0 victory over Torino in Turin, Hellas Verona now find themselves alone in third spot with seven points from their three games.
Verona endured a great deal of pressure from the home side, who even failed to convert a penalty, but they managed to avoid conceding a goal, so Artur Ionita's powerful strike was enough to secure a hard-earned win.
They will attempt to make it three in a row when they host Genoa midweek.
