Serie A Team of Week 25: Sampdoria Soar with Okaka, Anderson Inspires Lazio
In a round where Juventus effectively ended Roma's Scudetto challenge and all but secured their fourth title in a row, there was plenty of action elsewhere in Italy as well.
Fiorentina sunk Inter at the San Siro to keep the pressure on the third-place Napoli, while the Partenopei suffered defeat at the hands of Torino.
That loss in Turin allowed Lazio to edge to within just two points of Rafa Benitez's side thanks to an impressive 0-3 win away against Sassuolo, while Sampdoria sank Atalanta to keep their own European dreams alive.
Norberto Neto
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There are still some doubts about Norberto Neto's ability, but when he's locked in he looks like a great goalkeeper.
Against Inter, the Brazilian was in top form despite the fact that the Nerazzurri had more shots and almost twice as much possession as the Viola. Vincenzo Montella's side left the San Siro with a clean sheet and all three points thanks in part to a number of impressive saves made by Neto.
His refusal to sign a new contract means he isn't the most popular footballer in Florence right now, but if he continues playing like this until the end of the season, he'll win back at least some of the support at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.
Lorenzo De Silvestri
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Sampdoria's Lorenzo De Silvestri was solid in the air, precise with his tackling and generous with his support on the right flank against Atalanta.
The Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia is rarely an easy place to go, but the Blucerchiati put on a great show in their 1-2 win. His teammates farther up the pitch have grabbed all the headlines, but De Silvestri and the rest of the defence deserve some credit too.
Kamil Glik
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Not for the first time this season, Kamil Glik made the difference at both ends for Torino, this time against Napoli.
Defensively, he was as impressive as ever—he marshaled Gonzalo Higuain excellently—and his second-half header separated the two sides in a 1-0 home win for the Granata.
It's easy to fault the Partenopei's defence in the loss, because Glik was given far too much space to run, especially since he has form in scoring important goals. This was the 27-year-old Poland international's sixth of the season.
Dario Dainelli
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Chievo Verona's Dario Dainelli starred against AC Milan this weekend.
The 35-year-old rolled back the years in central defence, limiting the Rossoneri's opportunities and denying both Alessio Cerci and Jeremy Menez late, to protect Albano Bizzarri's goal and their side's clean sheet.
The 0-0 draw will feel like a win for the Mussi Volanti, who edged a little closer to safety thanks to the result.
Matteo Darmian
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Another fine display from Matteo Darmian. The 25-year-old pushed forward frequently, and his industriousness meant that the normally dangerous Jose Callejon didn't abuse Napoli's right flank.
The Torino wing-back is undoubtedly one of the best in the league at his position, and with regular Italy call-ups on his CV now as well, it's unlikely to be too long before a bigger club makes a move.
Marco Parolo
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Marco Parolo limited Sassuolo's advances brilliantly, and when the time was right, got forward himself to contribute a goal to Lazio's impressive 0-3 win at the Mapei Stadium.
The Italy international's form had dipped recently, but at his best, Parolo's box-to-box contributions are crucial to the Aquile's style of play.
Emil Hallfredsson
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Verona's 30-year-old Emil Hallfredsson caused plenty of problems on the left side of midfield against Cagliari and set up Luca Toni's opening goal with a perfect cross.
The Icelander then helped seal the points for the Mastini with a free kick to set up Juanito Taleb's winner.
Mohamed Salah
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Fiorentina's Mohamed Salah didn't start against Inter, but when he subbed in he made the difference, scoring the game's only goal and bagging all three points for the Viola.
The Egyptian rarely got a chance to shine while at Chelsea, but he's been a revelation since coming to Serie A on loan and has notched four goals and an assist in his last five games.
Felipe Anderson
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Felipe Anderson wasn't at his blistering best in his previous two appearances for Lazio, but he returned to top form against Sassuolo, putting in a perfect performance on the wing for Stefano Pioli's side.
The 21-year-old Brazilian was involved in almost everything positive that the Aquile did at the Mapei. He ran the Neroverdi defence ragged, scored the opener and set up Miroslav Klose for Lazio's second.
Expect his name to be at the centre of plenty of transfer gossip once the season is over.
Luca Toni
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This is now the 11th season in Luca Toni's career in which he's scored more than 10 league goals, and in current form you'd expect his current tally to increase significantly by the end of the season.
The Evergreen centre-forward has four goals in his last four games and was central to the win over Cagliari over the weekend, opening the scoring early and putting plenty of pressure on the Sardinian defence.
Stefano Okaka
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Stefano Okaka is frustratingly inconsistent. Calcio fans are still waiting to see the best from a player tipped for big things as a teenager at Roma, but his erratic form stunted his development and, now 25 years old, there's a chance he'll never fulfill that great potential.
Sampdoria's 1-2 away win over Atalanta saw the best of the Italy international. He set up Luis Muriel's goal to get Samp on the scoreboard and then secured the points with a strike of his own.
The Genoans are now just three points off the European spots, and if Okaka can keep playing like this they might just have a chance to bring European football back to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.
