A rout with a red card in it
Lazio’s 6-2 win at Sassuolo on Tuesday was their eighth victory in nine Serie A games, and [1] lists goals from Taylor, Isaksen, Zaccagni (twice) and Noslin. The only dropped points so far came in a 2-2 home draw with Milan. The result keeps Lazio unbeaten, and they are one of four Serie A sides without a defeat after eight matches, according to [2].
The context matters. Sassuolo were reduced to ten men in the 31st minute after Kristian Thorstvedt’s challenge on Zaccagni, and Lazio were already well ahead by then. A [3] had them leading 4-1 at the time of its write-up. Sassuolo came in without a win in six league games and having lost their last two, so the home side were short on momentum as well as men.
Gattuso did not hide from that. Football Italia reports that he [4] and said Lazio’s defensive block and game management after taking the lead need to improve. Conceding twice against ten men is the kind of detail a coach sitting on a nine-game unbeaten run can still find to criticise.
Zaccagni, Frattesi and Taylor lead the way
Mattia Zaccagni was the headline act with two goals, and the Guardian also credits him with involvement in Lazio’s build-up. He missed a penalty too. Sassuolo goalkeeper Stefano Turati saved spot-kicks from both Zaccagni and Davide Frattesi, so the scoreline could have been even heavier. [5] notes both misses, and Hernan Crespo still said Lazio deserve to lead the table.
Former midfielder Dario Marcolin, quoted by [6], singled out three players. He described Kenneth Taylor as one of Lazio’s standout players at the start of 2026-27. Frattesi, in his view, has improved and is a constant goal threat, while Zaccagni looks stronger and more confident. These are one pundit’s opinions rather than hard statistics, but they match what the results show: a midfield that scores, and a left-sided attacker in form.
The confirmed line-up gives a sense of the balance. Lazio started with Mandas in goal; Floriani Mussolini, Sutalo, Diego Leite and N. Tavares in defence; Frattesi, Belahyane and Taylor in midfield; and Isaksen, Noslin and Zaccagni up front. Diego Leite came in at centre-back in place of Oliver Provstgaard. Taylor, Isaksen and Noslin all scored from that group.
Absences and a lighter schedule
The squad is not at full strength. According to [7], Nicolò Rovella, Adam Marušić and Albert Guðmundsson were all still out after the game. Andrea Pinamonti was back on the bench after a throat infection, which adds a striking option for the coming weeks. Those absence reports carry only moderate confidence in the input, so treat the exact return dates as unknown.
There is also a structural advantage. Lazio went out of the Coppa Italia in the opening round and are not in European competition this season, as [8] reports. That leaves a clean weekly rhythm and few fixtures to rotate for, which helps a side leaning on a settled group. It also means the league is the only competition left to judge them on.
The flip side is that every dropped point counts for more. With Inter level at the top, a draw at home could cost Lazio the lead, and the injury list will be tested if the run of league games continues without a break.
What it means
Lazio are second in Serie A on 25 points from nine games, with eight wins, one draw and no defeats. They have scored 22 and conceded 7. That goal difference of +15 reflects a team that wins big, and the Sassuolo game shows it. Their last five results are all wins: 2-0 at Venezia, 3-1 against Monza, 3-0 at Juventus, 2-1 against Parma and 6-2 at Sassuolo.
The form says Lazio are strong in attack and efficient away from home, with three of those five wins on the road. The seven goals conceded are modest, but Gattuso’s own criticism points to the one area that could cost points: protecting a lead once it is secured.
The next fixture asks a different question. Cagliari visit on 1 November, and Lazio will be favourites at home. Cagliari lost 4-2 at Roma on Tuesday, according to Football Italia, so they arrive having conceded four. The test is whether Lazio can pair their finishing with the tighter game management Gattuso wants, this time with eleven men on each side. The site’s forecast for the match locks 24 hours before kick-off.
Sources
- The Guardian: High-flying Lazio’s thrashing of Sassuolo marked by Mussolini’s first Serie A goal | Nicky Bandini theguardian.com ↩
- Football Italia: Serie A: Sassuolo vs. Lazio – Confirmed line-ups football-italia.net ↩
- Football Italia: Serie A Liveblog: Sassuolo vs. Lazio, Roma vs. Cagliari, Torino vs. Como football-italia.net ↩
- Football Italia: Gattuso: ‘It helped that Sassuolo were down to 10, defensive block wasn’t very good’ football-italia.net ↩
- Football Italia: Crespo: ‘Lazio deserve their lead, anyone who criticised Gattuso has to apologise’ football-italia.net ↩
- Football Italia: Lazio’s strong start to Serie A draws Leicester City comparisons football-italia.net ↩
- Football Italia: Serie A | Sassuolo 2-6 Lazio: Unstoppable Aquile hit six past 10 men football-italia.net ↩
- Football Italia: Gattuso: ‘Make Lazio fans proud, but with 11 players like me, you won’t win much’ football-italia.net ↩
