Lazio swept aside Sassuolo 6-2 in Serie A, with Noslin scoring twice after the hosts were reduced to ten men. Kenneth Taylor, Gustav Isaksen, Romano Floriani Mussolini and Mattia Zaccagni also scored for Gennaro Gattuso’s side, while Sassuolo replied through an own goal by Josip Šutalo and Sebastiano Esposito.
Gattuso said the result reflected the work his players had put in since the start of the season.
“A lot of these lads were not protagonists before, and now they are doing something extraordinary,” he said. “At the beginning, we tried to do something different and dismantled this team. We took a heavy blow in the first match, but I was calm because we were beginning to see what we wanted to do. They kept going, and that is the secret.”
Taylor opened the scoring after two minutes, but Sassuolo equalised five minutes later. Isaksen restored Lazio’s lead in the 13th minute and Floriani Mussolini made it 3-1 three minutes after that. Thorstvedt was sent off in the 31st minute, yet Esposito pulled one back before Zaccagni scored in first-half stoppage time. Noslin struck twice after the break to complete the rout.
Gattuso was pleased with his side’s attacking combinations.
“With the two combinations down the flanks, we did great things,” he said. “Noslin does not only give us goals. He is always going at a thousand miles an hour, and that creates problems for opponents. He gives us strength and aggression.”
He also praised the supporters who travelled to the midweek match. “It is Tuesday, and to bring more than 10,000 people to the stadium is incredible,” he said. “Beyond the six goals, it was an incredible evening.”
Sassuolo coach Alberto Aquilani accepted responsibility for his team’s defensive problems.
“There is little to say; we have to apologise,” he said. “The game was affected by the red card, but we had already gone 3-1 down quite easily. We lack the attitude to defend aggressively, and we are paying for it. We conceded three goals from the first three shots, and that is not good enough. We have repeated this for weeks, and we have to change. I am responsible.”
Aquilani refused to blame injuries to two central defenders.
“It can be mental, tactical, individual or collective,” he said. “If I came here looking for excuses, I would be a small man. Lazio had things far too easy, and they do not need that help.”
Gattuso insisted that continued improvement would require hard work.
“We must not look at the table,” he said. “We have to do things seriously and keep improving match after match.”