Lazio came into tonight's game against Fiorentina on the back of a goalless draw against their city rivals, Roma.
With both of the Roman clubs fighting it out to secure Champions League football next season, Simone Inzaghi knew his Lazio side would likely need a win on the road.
In what was an absolutely incredible first-half, the game was perhaps a bit more eventful than Inzaghi would have wished for; both sides were reduced to ten men within a quarter of an hour of play.
Fiorentina's 'keeper Marco Sportiello seeing red for a fairly unquestionable handling of the ball outside of the area.
Shortly after that, the deficit was leveled out; Lazio's Alessandro Murgia was crucially the last man when this foul was committed.
And then the football started.
You may remember Jordan Veretout from his not overly memorable spell with Aston Villa. Well, since his move to Florence, he has been something of a revelation; less than 20 minutes after that Murgia red-card, Veretout had Fiorentina two goals to the good.
That wonderful free-kick was followed by a penalty.
With only fifteen minutes of the first-half remaining however, Lazio kicked into gear; Luis Alberto demonstrating his own prowess from the dead ball.
Sportiello's 20-year-old replacement Bartłomiej Drągowski will probably feel he could have done a little bit better for Lazio's equaliser through Martin Caceres.
The second-half scarcely signaled a tamer approach. Within ten minutes, that man Veretout had a hat-trick.
Yet, determined to grab hold of one of the Champions League places, Lazio rallied again. Quarter of an hour after Veretout's hat-trick goal, a four-minute burst gave them the lead for the first time on the night.
4-3
And that would be it for the night. Lazio's rivals Roma picked up a win at home to Genoa, leaving Inzaghi's men joint-third with five games remaining.
