Inter made it four wins out of four Serie A games as they beat Chievo yesterday, while title holders Juventus won for the first time by overcoming Genoa and Francesco Totti scored his 300th competitive goal for Roma.
Mauro Icardi’s first-half goal at Chievo, the Argentine’s first of the season, gave Inter a 1-0 win and left Roberto Mancini’s Inter as the only team with 12 points from their opening four games.
An unlucky own goal by goalkeeper Eugenio Lamanna and a Paul Pogba penalty got Juventus off the mark at 10-man Genoa after they had failed to win in their opening three games.
Totti, in his 24th season at his only professional club and one week short of his 39th birthday, helped Roma to draw 2-2 with Sassuolo as they twice came from behind to maintain their unbeaten record.
In other games, Fabio Quagliarella scored twice to give Torino a 2-0 win over Sampdoria, leaving them second with 10 points, and Serie A debutants Frosinone slumped to their fourth straight defeat as they went down 1-0 at Bologna.
Chievo created more chances in the first half against Inter in a midday match played in hot sunshine in Verona but the home team were made to pay for hesitant defending which allowed Icardi to score out of the blue just before half-time.
“The main thing is we managed to get the win at a tough place like the Bentegodi, struggling and battling away against an in-form Chievo side who defend brilliantly,” said Mancini.
“I’m happy with the way the lads played because it was very hot and Chievo kept everyone behind the ball.
“It wasn’t easy.”
Juventus enjoyed a huge slice of fortune at Genoa when Pogba volleyed against the underside of the crossbar from Roberto Pereyra’s cross but the ball hit Lamanna on the chest and bounced into the goal.
Juve’s task was made much easier after Genoa had Armando Izzo sent off one minute before halftime and Pogba’s penalty, harshly awarded for a foul by Diogo Figueiras on Giorgio Chiellini, polished off the game with half an hour to play.
Roma were stunned by Gregoire Defrel’s solo goal after 22 minutes at the Stadio Olimpico before Totti, left out of the team against Barcelona on Wednesday, sprang into action.
Sassuolo goalkeeper Andrea Consigli sent an attempted clearance straight to Miralem Pjanic who found Totti and he rolled the ball into the net.
“Three hundred is an incredible number,” said Roma coach Rudi Garcia.
“We were waiting for it although Francesco would have preferred to celebrate a win.”
Matteo Politano put the visitors back in front on the stroke of halftime and a brilliant Mohamed Salah volley early in the second half rescued a point for Roma, leaving the two teams joint fourth with eight points.
Fiorentina climbed to third after Khouma Babacar gave them a hard-fought 1-0 win over Carpi.
Higuain double
In the late game, a Gonzalo Higuain-inspired Napoli ran riot against Lazio to claim their first win of the season in style.
The Argentinian scored twice with Lorenzo Insigne, Allan and substitute Manolo Gabbiadini compounding Lazio’s misery in a 5-0 thrashing at the San Paolo.
Serie A
Atalanta 1
Moralez 90;
Verona 1
Pisano 90+;
HT: 0-0. Att: 14,000.
Red card: Jankovic (V) 79.
Bologna 1
Mounier 27;
Frosinone 0
HT: 1-0. Att: 15,722.
Carpi 0
Fiorentina 1
Babacar 35;
HT: 0-1. Att: 7,981.
Chievo 0
Inter 1
Icardi 42;
HT: 0-1. Att: 12,000.
Genoa 0
Juventus 2
Lamanna 37og; Pogba 60 pen;
HT: 0-1. Att: 31,500.
Red card: Izzo 44 (G).
Napoli 5
Higuain 14, 59; Allan 35; Insigne 47; Gabbiadini 79;
Lazio 0
HT: 2-0. Att: 15,500.
Roma 2
Totti 36; Salah 50;
Sassuolo 2
Defrel 22; Politano 45;
HT: 1-2. Att: 50,000.
Torino 2
Quagliarella 18, 24;
Sampdoria 0
HT: 2-0. Att: 20,000.
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Inter | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 12 |
| Torino | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 10 |
| Fiorentina | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 9 |
| Roma | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 8 |
| Sassuolo | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 8 |
| Chievo | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 7 |
| Sampdoria | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 7 |
| Palermo | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 7 |
| Milan | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Lazio | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 6 |
| Napoli | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Atalanta | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| Juventus | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Empoli | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 4 |
| Verona | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 3 |
| Genoa | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Bologna | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| Udinese | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| Carpi | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 1 |
| Frosinone | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
Next fixtures
Tomorrow: 20.45 Udinese vs Milan.
Wednesday: 20.45 Carpi vs Napoli; Chievo vs Torino; Fiorentina vs Bologna; Inter vs Verona; Juventus vs Frosinone; Lazio vs Genoa; Palermo vs Sassuolo; Sampdoria vs Roma.
Thursday: 20.45 Empoli vs Atalanta.
Top scorers
5 goals: Eder (Sampdoria).
4 goals: Quagliarella (Torino), Higuain (Napoli).
3 goals: Bacca (Milan), Saponara (Empoli), Paloschi (Chievo), Jovetic (Inter), Baselli (Torino), Hiljemark (Palermo), Floro Flores (Sassuolo).
Lega Pro
Group C: Ischia vs Martina 2-0; Lecce vs Casertana 1-1; Matera vs Catania 0-1; Monopoli vs Messina 1-1; Cosenza vs Akragas 0-0; Catanzaro vs Juve Stabia 1-2; Melfi vs C. Romani 1-1; Benevento vs Foggia 1-0; Paganese vs F. Andria 2-1.