Lazio win emphatically and lead Serie A; Taylor and Noslin star

Lazio are the new Serie A leaders after a resounding 2-6 win away at Sassuolo. Kenneth Taylor struck almost immediately, while Tijjani Noslin scored twice for the visitors from Rome. Coach Gennaro Gattuso substituted Taylor at half-time, possibly because the midfielder had been booked.

Reacting first to a rebound, Taylor scored in the second minute. The Dutch midfielder's goal survived a lengthy VAR check to put Lazio 0-1 up.

Sassuolo hit back quickly. Kristian Thorstvedt saw his shot from inside the penalty area deflect past the helpless Lazio goalkeeper Christos Mandas. Gustav Isaksen then made it 1-2 after a fine pass from Mattia Zaccagni.

Just over a quarter of an hour in, Taylor set up Romano Floriani to make it 1-3. Referee Luca Zufferli allowed the goal to stand after another lengthy VAR check. Thorstvedt then saw red for a hard challenge, before Sassuolo's Armand Lauriente had a goal that would have made it 2-3 ruled out for offside.

Despite being a man down, Sassuolo pulled a goal back just before half-time through a calm Sebastiano Esposito finish. Zaccagni restored Lazio's two-goal lead at 2-4 with a well-placed header. 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 failed to convert.

After 55 minutes, Noslin judged a long ball from the back before finishing emphatically for Lazio's fifth. A few minutes later, Lazio won another penalty, but Davide Frattesi also failed to convert.

Midway through the second half, Noslin made it 2-6, firing into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area. A satisfied Gattuso took the prolific forward off shortly afterwards, with Lazio moving three points clear of second-placed Inter.