A sensational start from Livorno against Sassuolo helped them blow away their relegation rivals in this six-pointer in Serie A action from the Armando Picchi on Sunday.
Three goals inside the opening 26 minutes from Leandro Greco, Paulinho and Marco Benassi had them well in control before Domenico Berardi pulled one back from the penalty spot two minutes later.
A large section of Livorno fans did not arrive inside the stadium until the 10 minute mark as a protest against president Aldo Spinelli and unfortunately for those fans, they missed their side opening the scoring!
Emerson had whizzed one just wide of the post after three minutes and then a minute later he turned provider to cross for Greco who fired into the back of the net for his third goal of the season.
Those who managed to squeeze their way into the stadium at the 10 minute mark will have barely settled in their seats than they would have witnessed their team double the lead.
Paulinho drove an effort at goal from the edge of the area for an Amaranto outfit playing with real confidence which whistled home to give his side a very commanding lead even at that early stage with his seventh goal of the campaign.
Things shortly got even worse for the visitors when Benassi added a third against a stunned Sassuolo whose new signings looked shell-shocked by their baptism of fire.
The Neroverdi handed themselves a lifeline when new signing Nicola Sansone took a tumble inside the penalty area under the clumsy challenge of Livorno goalkeeper Francesco Bardi and Berardi stepped up to rifle it home and give them slight hope.
It was little surprise after all of that excitement in the first half that the second was a slightly more subdued affair with Livorno happy to hold what they had and the visiting team struggling to really break them down.
Gianluca Pegolo had to be lively to sweep the ball away from the feet of an onrushing Innocent Emeghara in one of the Tuscan club’s forward moves while Berardi had a shot deflected out for a corner as the game drifted rather listlessly towards the finish.
Paulinho had a late chance to put a real seal on it when he slipped past Luca Antei after getting on the end of a Luca Siligardi pass but could only pull the shot wide.
It mattered little in the end with the hard work having been done earlier as Livorno saw the game out in supreme comfort for a massive three points.
