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Antonio Cassano's instinctive poacher's goal gave Sampdoria a slender 1-0 victory over Christian Rigano's Siena.
Both sides were on fine form going into this weekend, as Sampdoria held Juventus to a goalless draw in Turin and Siena saw off Palermo. New Tuscan signing Rigano' was on the bench after his move from Levante and Cassano returned from injury, but Hugo Campagnaro was suspended.
Within three minutes Cassano had proved he was fully recovered by rattling the frame of the goal. He cut in from the left channel, skipped past Rossettini and smashed a strike against the bar from the edge of the box.
Luca Castellazzi flapped a dangerous Paul Codrea cross off the head of Mario Frick, while Tomas Locatelli drilled wide from distance. Alex Manninger and Daniele Portanova got confused and almost allowed Cassano to pounce on the loose ball.
Locatelli limped off with an injury, making way for 18-year-old Argentine Fernando Forestieri, a former Genoa youth team star.
Castellazzi fumbled a Frick angled drive at the near post, but managed to get it under control before Daniele Gastaldello could take advantage. Massimo Maccarone almost scored one of the goals of the season with a rocket from 30 metres that whistled inches past the near post.
Cassano opened the scoring with a moment of pure clinical finishing and instinct. He pounced on a Rossettini defensive error to swing round and curl the right-foot finish in off the inside of the far post.
There was a scare for Pietro Accardi, as he fell head-first into the advertising boards, but was able to continue after treatment on a cut.
Rigano' made his return to Serie A six months after leaving Messina for Levante and almost immediately had Siena's best chance of the game so far. Accardi's fresh-air clearance fell to Rigano' and the snapshot brought a fantastic one-handed reaction save out of Castellazzi.
Cassano is still not 100 per cent fit and made way for Emiliano Bonazzoli. Rigano' had another promising opportunity set up by Galloppa, but was crowded out around the six-yard box after a poor first touch.
Siena were piling on the pressure and Castellazzi flew to palm a Codrea snapshot round the post.
Rigano' felt his shirt was pulled in stoppages and Siena accused Gennaro Delvecchio of feigning injury to waste time, but Sampdoria clung to the 1-0 victory amid tension that extended even after the final whistle. This was the first Blucerchiati home win of the season in Serie A that did not end 3-0.
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