ROME -- A win for Fiorentina raises questions of Juventus dominance. Elsewhere Serie A is tighter than ever at the top as we head into the second half of the season.

 Fiorentina 2-1 Juventus

 Fiorentina pulled off an unlikely win against the team that had, until recently, been hailed as the champions elect. However, this loss highlights a lack of intensity and organisation on the part of the Bianconeri when playing away from home. A deserved lead came in the 36^th minute when a Bernadeschi found Kalinic in the box. In a display that led Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri to defend his team and claim that they had never assumed themselves champions, the next goal came from a Badelj cross in the 53^rd minute that snuck between both Alex Sandro and Buffon, testament to the defensive frailties that Juventus have shown of late. Although Higuain attempted to stage a comeback with a scrappy goal three minutes later (56^th min.) and Juventus seeing the bulk of possession, Fiorentina managed to kill the game and take all the points amongst scenes of celebration.

 Udinese 0-1 Rome

 Second place Rome sealed a slim margin of victory against Udinese thanks to a sweetly struck volley by Man of the Match Nainggolan in the 12^th minute. This win closed the gap on the defending champions but concerns will be raised by Edin Dzeko’s missed penalty and inability to take chances. Time will tell if he returns to form or Roma continue to find others to come up with the goods.

 Napoli 3-1 Pescara

 Napoli waited until the 94^th minute to concede a Caprari penalty that flattered to deceive. Napoli’s build up play allowed them to dominate in a game that was won by the more tactically astute side. Pescara’s reliance on counter attacks allowed the home side to enjoy possession deep in their opponent’s territory during the first half with goals coming in the 47^th minute with Tonelli heading home a free kick that resulted from overzealous Pescara defending, a wonderful Marek Hamsik volley in the 49^th and a well worked Mertens goal in the 85^th minute. This win keeps Napoli in strong contention for a champions league spot and perhaps a surge toward the title in the coming weeks.

 Lazio 2-1 Atalanta

 An extremely entertaining encounter that saw elusive running and spectacular goalkeeping in equal measure. Ultimately Lazio’s more measured approach saw Immobile’s penalty kick in the 68^th minute settle proceedings.

 Calgliari 4-1 Genoa

 Although not seen as the fixture of the weekend on paper, this mid-table affair had more than its fair share of saves, goals and controversies. Although Genoa took the lead in the middle of the first half with Simeone slotting home in the 28^th minute, it was Marco Borriello who stole the day with two goals in the 40^th and 60^th minute respectively. He proved that at the age of 34 he is still very happy to play against Genoa; a fixture in which he has been involved with 10 goals (7 scored and 3 assisted) in his previous 11 outings against the club. Ultimately Genoa’s long ball tactics simply didn’t faze the hosts.

Sassuolo 4-1 Palermo

 Experience and youth formed a potent combination as 22 year old prospect Domenico Bernardi assisted two whilst 32 year old veteran, Alessandro Matri, proved he still could have a spring in his step whilst on his way to sinking the relegation threatened Sicilians.

 Inter Milan 3-1 Chievo

 Mauro Icardi took his tally of the season to 15 for the second year in the row as the Inter captain led his team to a convincing victory over Chievo. Chievo’s 4-3-1-2 formation was an obvious attempt on the part of Chievo to defend solidly and see if they could take advantage of any inter mistakes. Ultimately it proved futile as Inter ran out convincing victors.

 Elsewhere Empoli picked up a crucial draw to keep their survival hopes for the season away at Sampdoria.

Round 20 Italian Serie A