Serie A, Round 19: Seven-goal thriller caps the Serie A weekend

Inter Milan and Chievo Verona played out a 1-1 draw that suits neither side, with both goals coming within the first 15 minutes.

Two minutes later and Nagatomo had the ball in the net again, again arriving late to sweep home Jonathan’s cross-shot from eight yards. However, the linesman held his flag aloft -- although replays appear to show the Japanese international to be onside when the ball left Jonathan’s boot.

Inter injuries and suspensions

Out: McDonald Mariga, Cristian Chivu, Saphir Taïder (injured); Fredy Guarín (suspended). In doubt: Mauro Icardi.

They got one.

Unsurprisingly Sassuolo were playing with all of the confidence; quickly forgetting their shaky start. Milan had crumbled, and struggled to cope with the swarming neroverdi shirts.

Jorginho’s through ball was just a yard ahead of an outstretched Toni, who had cleverly got between his two markers. Toni and Iturbe competed for the same header, resulting in an easy catch for Rafael Cabral. The Napoli shot stopper bravely fisted clear Emil Hallfredsson’s cross with the ball destined for Jorginho’s head.

Napoli finally settled and went close on two occasions midway through the first half. Gonzalo Higuain collected Pablo Armero’s cutback, but saw a first-time shot beaten away by Rafael. Fewer than 30 seconds later, the Argentine sent another effort into the side netting.

Something had to give in this match: Juventus were on a 10-game winning streak, while Cagliari were unbeaten in seven Serie A matches. And of course, it was Cagliari’s streak that gave way, with the Old Lady adding yet another win to their tally.

And Cagliari were broken. It took just three minutes for Juventus to score their third. Lichtsteiner was the architect once more, Llorente the scorer, an easy finish from close range. The fourth and final goal came courtesy of the Swiss himself, helped along by Adán, who couldn’t keep hold of a shot from Llorente, dropping it into Lichtsteiner’s path for him to tap in.

Genoa might have begun Sunday comfortably mid-table, but there’s clearly a vast gulf in talent between them and second-place Roma, and a visit to the Stadio Olimpico was never going to be easy, especially without top scorer Alberto Gilardino. And so it proved -- after a tepid start Roma brushed their guests aside, eventually running out 4-0 winners in a match where they were never seriously threatened.

The early stages of the first half were at best ‘slow’ and at worst ‘incredibly dull’. Both sides had shouts for penalties turned down; the hosts claiming for a spot kick when Luca Antonini blocked Francesco Totti’s long range shot with an arm, and the visitors protesting after Maicon barged Andrea Bertolacci in the Roma box. That was about as exciting as it got before Roma decided to turn on the class.

Napoli injuries and suspensions

Projected lineups

Sassuolo injuries and suspensions

AC Milan injuries and suspensions

Berisha comfortably saved from Diamanti twice in the opening minutes. Lazio struggled to create much going forward, with Klose largely isolated during a disappointing first half.

Diamanti remained the home side’s main attacking threat. Midway through the second half, the talisman drove forward from the halfway line and shot wide from 25 yards. Lazio missed a guilt-edged chance on 70 minutes. Klose somehow turned over from point blank range, after Candreva’s cross found the German for his first clear sight of goal.

Reja addressed the travel sickness plaguing the side during his pre-match press conference.

”I told the boys that we have to change gear, we won some matches on the road when I was here last, we struck fear into all of the other teams.

The kinks in Roma’s armor are starting to show. After a string of five straight draws, the giallorossi managed a couple more wins, alongside a draw with Milan, and then last week finally ended their unbeaten run with a 3-0 loss to Juventus. Roma made it past Sampdoria to progress in the Coppa Italia, but the performance was rather uninspiring. Will they manage to stay the course this season?

If so, someone’s going to have to keep Roma players informed about their yellow card count, ensuring there’s not another match in which three starters are suspended. This week they’re without Leandro Castán, Daniele De Rossi, and Adem Ljajić. Radja Nainggolan, just brought in from Cagliari, will need to step in to try and compensate in midfield, but it’s Alessandro Florenzi that will feel the most pressure - his play midweek was far from perfect.

Cagliari have the home turf advantage, back at the Stadio Sant’Elia, but with only 5,000 allowed to attend, how much will it really help the hosts keep the Old Lady at bay? Since losing to Fiorentina on October 20, Juventus won every match. With last week’s 3-0 victory over unbeaten Roma, Juve are now on a ten-game streak of perfection. So do Cagliari even have a chance?

Probably not. The isolani have drawn their last three straight, scoring an impressive one goal in those 270 minutes. Diego López can’t seem to figure out what his best starting XI might be, although it matters little when the goal of the side appears to be securing a draw. First-choice goalkeeper Michael Agazzi refuses to sign a new contract with the club, keeping him off the pitch, while second-choice Vlada Avramov is out with injury. Oh, and Cagliari’s best player, Radja Nainggolan, took off to Roma.