Inter Milan beat Fiorentina 2-1 at home on Sunday to move up to third in Serie A.

Diego Milito scored a penalty to put the Nerazzurri in front in the 17th minute and Antonio Cassano doubled their lead 11 minutes before the break.

But the Viola rekindled their hope only six minutes later gave when Romulo found the net for them, and continued to pile the pressure on their hosts.

But their chances diminished in the 62nd minute when Gonzalo Rodriguez got the marching order.

Inter fought hard for the three points, which put them above Sampdoria and into a share of third place with Lazio, four points behind league leaders Juventus.

Inter head coach Andrea Stramaccioni praised his side's new attitude and saw their shaky performances earlier of the season were a blessing in disguise.

"Hitting the bottom of the table was important for us, because it made us understand that we had to change something and go on to the field with a different attitude," he said.

"Tonight we exhibited determination and hard work. It was a show of strength and of quality, above all because Fiorentina are such a dangerous side," he added.

Napoli earned a deserved 1-0 win at Sampdoria thanks to Edinson Cavani's second-half penalty.

Cavani converted after a foul that earned Daniele Gastaldello a red card. Napoli, already the better side against 11 men, could easily have won by more but for wayward finishing throughout.

Lazio struck twice in the first half to record a 2-1 success over Siena that leaves them four points off the Serie A summit.

Cristian Ledesma set up the first for Ederson and then scored himself from the penalty spot to give the hosts a commanding half-time lead.

Torino took full advantage of a spectacular collapse from Atalanta to claim a 5-1 victory.

Fabrizio Miccoli hit a hat-trick as Palermo swept Chievo aside in Sicily in a 4-1 victory, heaping more pressure on visiting coach Domenico Di Carlo.

Bologna rediscovered some of their early-season form with a 4-0 win over ten-man Catania.

Cagliari's recent woes continued as they slumped to a 2-1 home defeat against Pescara.

Udinese and Genoa picked up a point apiece in a goalless draw played at a pedestrian pace at the Stadio Friuli.