Fiorentina 1-0 Cagliari

Fiorentina continued their strong start as Alberto Gilardino's second-half header gave them victory over Cagliari.

The Viola were well worth the three points in a game they dominated from start to finish, but with star striker Adrian Mutu missing they struggled to convert their chances and had to settle for victory by a single goal.

Indeed, so poor were Fiorentina in front of goal that they only managed two strikes on target despite attempting 16 in the match.

However, they can worry about that later. The victory lifted them to third in the table, although they knew they could be caught by Genoa who were hosting Napoli in the evening fixture.

There was only one side in this game, with Cagliari having to settle in and defend for almost the entire contest.

Gilardino had the first sight of goal in only the eighth minute after some fine work from Stevan Jovetic set him up for a long-range effort, but he sent the ball just wide.

Jovetic then got a chance of his own, but was likewise narrowly off target with a drilled effort.

Despite Fiorentina's dominance, Cagliari goalkeeper Federico Marchetti had not been tested as the Viola's finishing let them down.

Riccardo Montolivo was next to try his luck but did not better than those that had gone before him, sending his first shot wide left and then, just after the half-hour mark, firing over the crossbar.

The midfielder then turned provider but Gilardino still could not find the target as he blazed over from the edge of the area.

Marchetti completed the first half without having to make a save as Fiorentina wasted their best move of the opening 45 minutes, with Jovetic missing after Montolivo led a swift counter-attack down the right.

When Gilardino finally got one on target 10 minutes after the restart, his header flew into the top left-hand corner of the net to cap a move led by Juan Manuel Vargas on the left.

The Viola sought to extend their lead but could do little to address their poor finishing, with Jovetic breaking inside the area but then firing beyond the top right-hand corner of the net.

Cagliari enjoyed a rare foray forward in the 66th minute, but Sebastien Frey was equal to Jedais Jeda's shot and tipped it over the crossbar.

Fiorentina spent the final 20 minutes in search of a second goal to settle their nerves, but it would not come.

Marco Donadel went as close as anyone with a 73rd minute shot from long-range that skimmed the right-hand post.

Marchetti made his first and only save of the game with 10 minutes to go when he got down to block Vargas' shot following a swift counter-attack.

Normal service then resumed from the Viola strikeforce as Cristiano Zanetti fired well over the crossbar in the final moments.