Naples, Italy – Napoli doomed Inter Milan to its fourth 0, at the Stadio San Paolo behind Ezequiel Lavezzi's second-half strike.
Inter manager Claudio Ranieri's seat on the bench certainly got hotter with the loss as his team has failed to pick up a league win in their last six outings.
Wesley Sneijder came within inches of giving Inter the lead just before the break as he curled a free kick toward goal that looked destined for the upper corner, but sailed just wide of the post, ensuring a scoreless first half.
Inter was left to rue its missed chances as Napoli dictated play for much of the second half.
The breakthrough for the home side came in 59th minute through Lavezzi as he inspired the Blues to fifth place in the Serie A table.
The visitors were given a glimmer of hope to conjure a comeback after Salvatore Aronica was issued a straight red card in the 79th minute, but Ranieri's men could not find a late equalizer.
Napoli jumps ahead of Roma into fifth place, improving to 40 points with its third win in a row. The Blues are unbeaten in their last nine Serie A contests.
Inter's woes continue as the club sits seventh on 36 points.
Atalanta 4, Roma 1
Bergamo, Italy - German Denis notched a hat trick to help guide Atalanta to a shock 4-1 win over nine-man Roma at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia on Sunday.
Guido Marilungo gave the home side the lead after 10 minutes while Denis doubled it in the 19th minute. Fabio Borini pulled a goal back for Roma before halftime, but Denis wrapped up the affair in the second half with goals in the 47th and 66th minutes, brining his tally to 15 for the year.
Roma had little hope for a comeback as its leading scorer, Daniel Osvaldo, was sent off 36 minutes from time. Things went from bad to worse for the visitors as substitute Marco Cassetti was dismissed for dissent with eight minutes remaining.
Atalanta is unbeaten in its last four, improving to 31 points through 25 games, while Roma has lost of its last three league games as it sits sixth on 38 points.
Siena 4, Palermo 1
Siena, Italy - Siena, with an extra man for much of the match, put four past Palermo by four different scorers as the Bianconeri claimed a 4-1 win at the Stadio Comunale on Sunday.
Federico Balzaretti was sent off just a minute into the game, and while Palermo was still able to take the lead through Igor Budan in the 12th minute, Siena took control of the match soon after with contributions from several sources.
Claudio Terzi got the home side off the mark with a penalty kick in the 23rd minute before Erjon Bogdani handed Siena the lead in the 34th minute. Luca Rossettini and Franco Brienza then put the match beyond any doubt as they scored in the 46th and 58th minutes, respectively.
The Tuscans see their two-game losing skid come to an end as they sit two points above the relegation zone, while Palermo has lost two of its last three, staying put on 34 points.
Lecce 2, Cagliari 1
Cagliari, Italy - Lecce secured a vital win in its battle against relegation as it earned a 2-1 victory over Cagliari at the Stadio Sant'Elia on Sunday.
Luis Muriel gave the visitors the lead just before the break, but Joaquin Larrivey quickly equalized for Cagliari five minutes after the restart. Andrea Bertolacci, on loan from Roma, secured three points for Lecce with the game- winner in the 61st minute.
Adding insult to injury for Cagliari, Michele Canini was sent off six minutes from time after picking up his second yellow card.
Lecce is unbeaten in its last four Serie A matches as it climbs a bit closer to safety, while Cagliari suffers its 10th loss of the season to remain on 31 points.
Catania 3, Novara 1
Catania, Italy - Catania cruised to its second straight victory in Serie A play as it edged Novara, 3-1, at the Stadio Angelo Massimino on Sunday.
Gonzalo Bergessio put the home side in front in the 30th minute before Giovanni Marchese and Alejandro Gomez added a goal apiece in the second half to clinch all three points. Raffaele Rubino pulled back a consolation goal for Novara in the 84th minute.
Catania, unbeaten in its last five home games, improves to 33 points on the year, while Novara, battling relegation, sits second from bottom on 17 points.
Chievo 1, Cesena 0
Verona, Italy - Davide Moscardelli struck 12 minutes from time to hand Chievo a 1-0 win over 10-man Cesena at the Stadio M.A. Bentegodi on Sunday.
Maurizio Lauro was issued a red card in the 55th minute, giving the home side the edge necessary to take all three points and hand Mario Beretta a difficult start to life in charge at Cesena.
Chievo has won two straight, while Cesena, in last place, has dropped three straight.
Udinese 3, Bologna 1
Bologna, Italy - Udinese inched closer to the top of the Serie A table on Sunday as it cruised to a 3-1 win over Bologna at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara.
Antonio Di Natale opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 38th minute before Dusan Basta added a second in the 56th minute. Panagiotis Kone pulled one back for Bologna nine minutes from time, but Antonio Floro Flores quickly quelled any hopes of a comeback as he notched Udinese's third goal just three minutes later.
Taking advantage of Saturday's draw between AC Milan and Juventus, Udinese now sits just six points shy of first-place Milan. Bologna, meanwhile sees its seven-game unbeaten run come to a halt.
Lazio 1, Fiorentina 0
Rome, Italy - Miroslav Klose recorded the only goal of Lazio's 1-0 defeat of Fiorentina at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday.
The German netted his 12th goal of the season in the 36th minute to help Lazio keep pace with Udinese - the two clubs are tied on 45 points apiece.
Fiorentina has lost three straight Serie A matches and sits four points clear of the relegation zone.
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