ROME: Lazio moved level on points with Inter Milan at the top of Serie A with a 3-1 win over Monza on Sunday as pursuers Roma, Juventus and AC Milan were all held.
Ten-man Roma could not keep pace as Donyell Malen's red card overshadowed a 0-0 stalemate in Como. They now sit two points behind the leaders in third.
AC Milan were held 1-1 at Sassuolo to leave them four points adrift of the leaders in fifth.
Surprise package Cagliari continued their impressive start to the season by holding Juventus 1-1 to remain fourth, two points above the Turin giants in sixth.
Under Gennaro Gattuso, who has bounced back after his failure at the helm of the Italian national side who missed out on the 2026 World Cup, Lazio continued their strong start to the season.
Still unbeaten, the Roman outfit secured a fifth victory in six matches to pull level on 16 points with Inter, who beat Parma 3-0 at the San Siro on Saturday.
"We can't look at the standings, otherwise we will get dizzy. We have to take it day by day," said Gattuso.
Their run comes despite ongoing fan protests against owner Claudio Lotito that have left Lazio's home matches sparsely attended amid a stadium boycott.
Nuno Tavares gave Lazio a third-minute lead with a spectacular long-range strike and Gustav Isaksen doubled it midway through the first half.
Monza had Lorenzo Lucchesi sent off on 35 minutes for hauling down Tijjani Noslin as he broke through on goal, but the 16th-placed visitors rattled Lazio after the break, pulling a goal back and coming close to equalising before conceding a third goal in the closing stages.
- TEMPERS FLARE -
In Sardinia, Juventus required a late equaliser from Randal Kolo Muani to rescue a point after Daniel Maldini's opener as tempers flared between the coaches.
Maldini, son of AC Milan legend Paolo, struck for the fourth game in a row to mark his 25th birthday in style.
Juventus dominated possession but struggled to carve out clear-cut chances against a Cagliari side boasting the best defensive record in the league until Kolo Muani headed home in the 81st minute.
The France international almost completed the comeback four minutes later when he rattled the underside of the bar from close range, but the hosts held on to take a draw before tempers spilled over at full-time as opposing coaches Fabio Pisacane and Luciano Spalletti were shown red cards.
"Nothing happened. I told him they play good football and are good at wasting time," Spalletti explained when asked what led to the fracas.
"(Pisacane) said 'what do you mean wasting time?' And they kicked us both out. It was nothing major, all pretty normal," he added.
Ruben Amorim's Milan maintained their unbeaten start but drew for the third time in their last four league games.
Matteo Gabbia went off injured early on with the breakthrough not coming until the 63rd minute when Luka Modric slipped in Adrien Rabiot to fire home a powerful finish.
Milan's lead lasted just five minutes before substitute Cas Odenthal turned in the equaliser in a crowded box from a corner.
"We deserved to take the lead, but then after the goal we didn't control the game," Amorim said.
"When we had the ball, we lost it really fast. That can happen, but what cannot happen is to concede that goal on the corner."
Roma continued their unbeaten start against Como but could only pick up a point in the first goalless draw of the Serie A season.
The dismissal of league top scorer Malen for a dangerous tackle early in the second half forced Roma to scale back their ambitions after a bright start where Lorenzo Pellegrini hit the post and Paulo Dybala squandered a glorious chance.
Neither team could find the breakthrough in a clash between two sides widely regarded as dark horses for the title.
Bologna picked up their first win of the season by beating Lecce 2-1. --AFP
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