Lazio are the new Serie A leaders after an emphatic 6-2 win away at Sassuolo. Kenneth Taylor scored almost immediately, while Tijjani Noslin struck twice for the visitors from Rome. Coach Gennaro Gattuso took Taylor off at half-time, perhaps because the midfielder had been booked.
Taylor reacted quickest to a rebound and scored in the second minute. VAR checked the goal at length, but the Dutch midfielder's finish stood.
Sassuolo hit back quickly. A deflected strike from Kristian Thorstvedt inside the penalty area flew past the helpless Lazio goalkeeper Christos Mandas. The goals kept coming in the opening stages as Gustav Isaksen put Lazio 2-1 up after a fine pass from Mattia Zaccagni.
After just over a quarter of an hour, Taylor set up Romano Floriani for Lazio's third. VAR checked the goal at length before referee Luca Zufferli allowed it to stand. Sassuolo's problems mounted when Thorstvedt was sent off for a heavy challenge. An offside call then denied Armand Lauriente a goal that would have made it 3-2.
Sassuolo, despite being a man down, pulled a goal back just before half-time through Sebastiano Esposito's calm finish. Lazio responded with a well-placed Zaccagni header to make it 4-2. Shortly after the restart, with Taylor having stayed in the dressing room, Simone Cinquegrano handled the ball in the penalty area and Lazio won a penalty. Zaccagni, however, missed from the spot.
Lazio's fifth came after 55 minutes. Noslin cleverly judged a long ball from the back before finishing emphatically. A few minutes later, Lazio won another penalty, but Davide Frattesi also failed to convert.
Unfazed by the missed penalties, Noslin put Lazio 6-2 up midway through the second half, firing into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area. A pleased Gattuso took the prolific forward off shortly afterwards and saw his side extend their lead over second-placed Inter to three points.