Higuain scores twice as Benitez's Napoli beat Lazio in six-goal thriller in Rome



Napoli won 4-2 at Lazio on Monday evening to stay in touch with Juventus and Roma at the top of the Serie A table.

Gonzalo Higuain scored twice for the visitors, with former Lazio striker Goran Pandev and Jose Callejon grabbing the other goals for Rafa Benitez's side.



Teenage striker Keita Balde Dia scored for the home side, who had leveled Higuain's opener with an own goal by Valon Behrami.



Man of the moment: Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain (left) opens the scoring against Lazio Red hot: Former Arsenal target Higuain reacts after finding the back of the net during the first half Back on form: Higuain is mobbed by his team-mates after setting Napoli on their way to a first Serie A victory in three games No chance: Lazio goalkeeper Federico Marchetti can only watch as Higuain's effort finds the net for his second goal of the game Napoli broke the deadlock in the 24th minute with a moment of brilliance from Higuain, who ran almost half the length of pitch and held off Michael Ciani before firing under goalkeeper Federico Marchetti.



Lazio equalised almost immediately when former player Behrami, who spent three seasons at the Rome-based club, turned into his own net.



Another Lazio old boy, Pandev, restored Napoli's lead five minutes into the second half with a swiveling shot from close range following a controversial free kick.



Back in front: Former Lazio striker Goran Pandev (third from right) blasts the ball into the bottom corner to restore Napoli's lead

Big mistake: Napoli midfielder Valon Behrami (right) turns the ball past his own goalkeeper, Liverpool loanee Pepe Reina (left)

Look who's back: Pandev celebrates scoring against his former club after leaving due to a contract dispute

And Pandev, whose five years at Lazio ended bitterly after a contract dispute, sent a delightful through-ball in for Higuain to score his second in the 72nd minute.



The 18-year-old Keita reduced the deficit after a solo run three minutes from time, but Callejon sealed the match in stoppage time.

The win moves Napoli six points behind leader Juventus and three behind Roma after a run of two successive defeats. Lazio remain in eighth.

Key man: Napoli boss Rafa Benitez (middle) congratulates his two-goal hero Higuain (left) after the match

Meanwhile Fiorentina beat 10-man Hellas Verona 4-3 in an eventful game to boost their hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League.



Four of the goals came in the opening 15 minutes in an open match at the Stadio Franchi as Fiorentina captain Borja Valero scored twice, either side of goals from on-loan Fiorentina midfielder Romulo and Juan Iturbe for Verona.



Juan Vargas fired Fiorentina in front shortly before halftime and Giuseppe Rossi added a fourth from the penalty spot after Bosko Jankovic had been shown a straight red card for handball.



On target: Fiorentina's Borja Valero (right) bends in the first of his two goals against Verona

On the spot: Fiorentina's Giuseppe Rossi steps up to score his 12th goal of the season from the penalty spot

Dancing feet: Rossi (right) celebrates with team-mate Juan Guillermo Cuadrado after his successful penalty

The U.S-born Rossi, who plays for the Italian national team, is the top scorer in Serie A with 12 goals, four more than Torino's Alessio Cerci.



Jorginho reduced the deficit in the 72nd minute as both sides had several chances to add to their tallies.



Fiorentina moved level with fourth-place Inter Milan, four points behind Napoli. Verona are five points further back in sixth.



Nothing but net: Verona's Jorginho (second from left) scores his side's third goal of the night













