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Serie A weekend round-up: New faces make their mark
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The transfer window made the biggest impact so far across this weekend's Serie A games, as new faces made the difference in what was a tight round of fixtures.
Inter's winner was far from a new face as Lautaro Martinez kept the leaders ahead of the pack, with their title rivals hot on their heels after they also enjoyed slender victories.
Here's a round-up of the big talking points from Serie A's matchday 21, with two games still left to play on Monday evening.
New dudes to the rescue
There's nothing like giving your side a fresh impetus in the January transfer window, and while the market hasn't been red hot so far, the headline acts proved their worth this weekend.
Donyell Malen wasted no time in endearing himself to Roma, scoring 26 minutes into his debut as he helped his new team to a 2-0 win over Torino. The irony was for all to see back in Birmingham, where his old club Villa failed to break down a stubborn Everton side and were bereft of attacking options, now the Dutchman has moved to the Italian capital.
Malen wasn't the only new arrival from the Premier League making an impression, though, as Milan needed their latest recruit to get them over the line at home to struggling Lecce.
Niklas Fullkrug failed to make an impact with West Ham, but the German has already had his say in the Serie A title battle, as he scored a late winner to see the Rossoneri keep up the pressure on rivals Inter.
Fiorentina flying, Bologna free-falling
Fiorentina's great escape is in full flow, and they find themselves out of the bottom three after their win over Bologna on Sunday.
After a dismal first half of the campaign, the Viola looked doomed to a shock relegation, but a run of form that has now seen them go unbeaten in their last six has seen them dispose of that notion and look ready to move away from danger.
The win was all the more poignant because it came just two days after the sad death of president Rocco Commisso, and they put in a performance worthy of a tribute to him.
As for the home side, they are firmly stuck in a rut. They've only won one of their last six and have seen their European hopes slowly start to fade, having started the season being talked about as a dark horse in the title race.
A turnaround is needed quickly from Vincenzo Italiano.
Juventus caught cold by Cagliari
Just when you start to take Juventus seriously, they succumb to a defeat no one saw coming and dent their top-four prospects.
Luciano Spalletti's men were without a loss in seven going into the game against Cagliari and put five past Cremonese in their last outing.
It looked as though the side had finally found its cutting edge, but couldn't find a way past the home side, despite having 22 shots on goal.
Instead, Calgliari found a hero in Luca Mazzitelli, who netted the winning goal just after the hour mark to seal a famous win for Fabio Pisacane.
Results from Serie A matchday 21
Friday, January 16
Pisa 1-1 Atalanta
Saturday, January 17
Udinese 0-1 Inter
Napoli 1-0 Sassuolo
Cagliari 1-0 Juventus
Sunday, January 18
Parma 0-0 Genoa
Bolonga 1-2 Fiorentina
Torino 0-2 Roma
Milan 1-0 Lecce
Monday, January 19
Cremonese vs Hellas Verona
Lazio vs Como
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