Empoli compelted a much needed win over high-flying Lazio at the Stadio Carlo Castellani, bringing them up to 16th in the Serie A table.
Goals from Federico Barba and Massimo Maccarone in the fist half was enough to overcome a Filip Djordevic strike as they ran out 2-1 winners.
Here are our player ratings from Empoli’s win, do you agree with them? Have your say in the comments section below.
Empoli
Luigi Sepe – 6.5 – Commanding
Looked fairly reliable for most of the match and made a couple of good saves. Unfortunately denied clean sheet by Djordjevic.
Vincent Laurini – 6 – Solid
Neat and tidy for the most parts. Came off for Hysaj after 69 minutes.
Federico Barba – 7 – Decisive
Filled in admirably for Tonelli and scored to put his side ahead. Impressive performance from the youngster.
Daniele Rugani – 6 – Promising
Marked Djordevic verywell for most of the match. Enough potential to suggest he has a big future ahead of him.
Mario Rui – 6 – Tough
Hard battling performance from the midfielder. Provided an efficient shield to the back four.
Daniele Croce – 6 – Average
Msplaced passes several times and did not fully live up to his potential as playmaker.
Mirko Valdifiori – 7.5 – Effective
Arguably Empoli’s best player. Involved in both goals and looked constantly threatening going forward.
Matias Vecino – 7 – Tireless
Quality player and plenty of running, adding great work-rate to the team. Also presses when not in possession which is a good facet of this Empoli side.
Piotr Zielinski – 6 – Satisfactory
Ran the channels and provided opportunities for passes.
Manuel Pucciarelli – 5.5 – Fragmented
Never forged an effective partnership with Maccarone and looked a little lost at times. Needs to be more aggressive and confident.
Massimo Maccarone – 7 – Assured
An experienced performance. Kept plugging away and got a goal for his troubles.
Substitutes
Diego Laxalt – 6 – Bright
Offered pace and a good outlet after coming on.
Elseid Hysaj – 6 – Fresh
Fresh legs coming off the bench to shore things up defensively.
Matteo Bianchetti – N/A
Came on with five minutes to go.
Lazio
Etrit Berisha – 6 – OK
Looked shaky at times but came out to collect corners well a couple of times. Could have organised the defence a bit better.
Luis Pedro Cavanda – 5 – Poor
Back from injury and showed his lack of sharpness. Failed to get forward enough to support Candreva.
Stefan De Vrij – 6 – Impressive
Looked like Lazio’s best defensive player. Confident in bringing the ball out of defence which is always a good element for a team.
Michael Ciani – 5 – Erroneous
Cost his team by losing possession on the halfway line and never looked entirely comfortable in the match.
Edson Braafheid – 5.5 – Ragged
Another poor full-back performance for Lazio. A lot of strayed passes and hopeful balls forward. Needs to be more incisive and focused with his decision-making.
Marco Parolo – 5.5 – Fading
Started off well but faded fast. Didn’t influence the match as much as he would have hoped.
Lucas Biglia – 6 – Creative
Created more opportunities and provided a good metronomic presence for the away side in the middle.
Senad Lulic – 5 – Disappointing
Very poor showing from the winger. Not enough of an end product.
Antonio Candreva – 6 – Resolute
Managed to provide an assist despite not having his best day. Looked a lot more dangerous than Lulic.
Filip Djordjevic – 6.5 – Dangerous
Always looked like he could score, even when Lazio were struggling in the game. Kept his run going with a goal to bring it back to 2-1.
Stefano Mauri – 6 – Injury
Looked decent in the firs thalf but was forced off with injury before half-time.
Substitutes
Ederson – 5.5 – Wasteful
Had a good chance but wasted it.
Miroslav Klose – N/A
Felipe Anderson – N/A
