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Marco Ballotta's howler gifted Giampaolo Pazzini with the winner as Fiorentina extended Lazio's crisis by conquering the Olimpico 1-0.
The Biancocelesti desperately needed a win to wipe away the memories of their midweek 3-2 derby defeat and climb out of the bottom half of the table, but were without Mobido Diakhite, Valon Behrami, Stefano Mauri, Simone Del Nero and Sebastiano Siviglia. The Viola had lost just one of their last 28 Serie A games and rested several star players, including Adrian Mutu.
Marco Ballotta smothered a Giampaolo Pazzini snapshot, but there were few real chances in the opening minutes.
Fiorentina lost Alessandro Gamberini early on with a suspected right thigh strain, but while they were playing with 10 men, they also took the lead. It was a howler from 43-year-old Ballotta, who rushed back to prevent Emilson Cribari's back-header from going out for a corner. Instead, he fumbled the ball into the path of a grateful Pazzini, who walked it into an empty net. What a terrible way for Ballotta to mark his 200th Serie A game.
Lazio went close to an equaliser when Cristian Ledesma's free kick was carried on for Massimo Mutarelli and Sebastien Frey rushed out to close down the pass to Guglielmo Stendardo.
They had an even better chance when Tommaso Rocchi volleyed Lionel Scaloni's cross, but it was deflected off target by Per Kroldrup.
Ballotta made up for his earlier error by dealing with another Pazzini effort, this time set up by Manuel Pasqual.
Delio Rossi introduced Mourad Meghni for the second half, while Fiorentina were forced into another substitution as Zdradko Kuzmanovic sustained an injury.
Stephen Makinwa was putting in some dangerous crosses from the right and the Viola defence struggled to clear after Rocchi failed to get enough contact on it for his volley. At the other end, Cribari out-sprinted Daniel Pablo Osvaldo on the counter.
Makinwa created another interesting opportunity for Scaloni, but the former West Ham man ballooned over the bar.
With the result still in the balance, Cesare Prandelli introduced star striker Mutu, but within 30 seconds he was booked for refusing to give the ball back quickly enough to Ledesma for a free kick.
Substitute Igli Tare thought he deserved a penalty for a collision on the edge of the area, but the referee correctly waved play on. As the move continued at the other end Marco Donadel slid through for Pazzini to spring the offside trap and smash his shot on to the crossbar.
Luciano Zauri charged down Mutu's strike set up by Pazzini, but only some acrobatic defending from Dario Dainelli prevented Rocchi from chesting down and volleying in Ledesma's chipped pass over the defence.
Frey has been one of the form 'keepers of the campaign and performed a stunning save on 82 minutes. Ledesma's searching pass was flicked on off Rocchi's head for Mutarelli, but Frey got down incredibly quickly to fingertip the low angled drive inches round the far post.
There was bad news for the Biancocelesti when Rocchi limped off with a sore ankle. He was able to continue, but it is another knock the striker could do without, especially with Goran Pandev injured.
Lazio lost their heads in stoppages. Gaby Mudingayi was booked for bringing down Mutu and will be suspended for next week's trip to Inter, while Mutarelli got his second yellow card for dissent as he aimed a series of insults at the referee.
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