Moise Kean continued his revival at Fiorentina by netting in Sunday’s 2-0 win at Como and helping his team move level with Serie A leaders Atalanta.
Italy forward Kean bundled in the second in the 68th minute to ensure red-hot Fiorentina would return to Florence with all three points from a hard-fought match.
The 24-year-old has been reborn in Tuscany after failing to score a single goal at Juve last season and has scored seven times in his last four Serie A matches for a Fiorentina team on a seven-match winning streak in the league.
Kean’s strike came after Yacine Adli lashed in a 20th-minute opener and was his ninth in 12 league appearances under Raffaele Palladino, who has taken Fiorentina to 28 points in his first few months in charge.
That tally puts Fiorentina in third, below Atalanta on goal difference and champions Inter on goals scored, although Napoli can reclaim their one-point lead when they host Roma on Claudio Ranieri’s return to management.
Fiorentina didn’t have things all their own way, and had David de Gea to thank for a superb triple save on the hour mark when they still only led by a single goal.
Como are one point and place above Lecce, who are just inside the relegation zone and take on bottom side Venezia on Monday, after a fifth defeat in a worrying seven-match winless run.
Cesc Fabregas’ side also finished the match with 10 men after Alberto Dossena slapped Adli in stoppage time.
Patrick Vieira was denied a winning start as Genoa manager after a late penalty gave fellow Serie A strugglers Cagliari a 2-2 away draw.
Roberto Piccoli lashed home his spot-kick two minutes from the end after being fouled by Aaron Martin, snatching a point for Cagliari with his team’s second penalty of the game.
Vieira, who replaced sacked Alberto Gilardino on Wednesday, was heading for a debut win at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris after goals in each half from Morten Frendrup and Fabio Miretti which put Genoa ahead in the 59th minute following Razvan Marin’s early penalty for the away team.
The draw leaves Genoa in 16th, level with Cagliari and two points above Lecce.
