Rome (AFP) - Lazio recovered from the early exit of injured captain Ciro Immobile to post a 2-0 win at Sassuolo on Sunday to keep their Champions League hopes alive.
Mattia Zaccagni opened before the break by converting a penalty awarded after Sassuolo defender Jeremy Toljan handled the ball off a corner.
Felipe Anderson added a second deep into injury time with Lazio, in fifth, moving three points behind third-placed Juventus and Inter Milan, who are level on points, and four adrift of champions AC Milan.
Maurizio Sarri's side took advantage of second-placed AC Milan's 2-2 draw at Lecce, with Juventus on Friday crushed 5-1 by Napoli, who are top of the standings with a healthy nine-point advantage.
Lazio host AC Milan next weekend, with Immobile now in doubt after being substituted after a quarter of an hour due to discomfort in the right thigh.
It is a fresh blow for the 32-year-old striker, who has already missed several games earlier this season with a left thigh problem.
The leading Serie A scorer in activity with 189 goals is aiming for the top scorer title for the fifth time to equal the record set by Swede Gunnar Nordahl in the 1950s with AC Milan.
But Immobile currently only has seven goals on the clock, five behind Victor Osimhen of Napoli.
Sassuolo remain mired in the depths, sitting 16th after this sixth defeat in seven matches.
Sixth-placed Atalanta and AS Roma, just behind the Bergamo side but equal on points, are both in action later on Sunday against Salernitana and Fiorentina respectively.
