Emanuele Giaccherini transformed the game, providing a goal and assist for Roberto Inglese, as Chievo beat Cagliari for their first win since November.

This was a relegation dogfight, but the hosts were in a decidedly worse position, managing two points in 10 rounds. The Sardinians made the trip without injured Luca Cigarini and Filippo Romagna.

Cagliari have beaten Chievo only once since February 2011, a 4-0 Sardinian demolition job interrupting seven defeats and three goalless draws.

In the opening minute, a Lykogiannis cross-shot flashed past both Joao Pedro’s foot and the far post, then Roberto Inglese volleyed a deflected Lucas Castro assist wide.

Marco Andreolli made a decisive challenge in the box to stop Inglese pulling the trigger, while Artur Ionita fired straight at Stefano Sorrentino.

Chievo had a fantastic chance to score on 38 minutes when Inglese got his head to a corner, but Alessio Cragno somehow clawed it out from the near top corner.

Cragno almost gifted the hosts a goal on 55 minutes with a howler. He misjudged Leandro Castan’s back-pass and managed to kick it away when the ball was already midway over, but was able to get away with it thanks to the use of goal-line technology.

Inglese continued his duel with Cragno, as another header at the near post was fingertipped away with remarkable reflexes.

Cragno was finally beaten by substitute Giaccherini, who earned and then curled in a wonderful free kick from just outside the D. It was the first goal in a Chievo jersey for the winger on loan from Napoli.

Moments later there was another goal from a player owned by Napoli, as Giaccherini started the counter and Inglese finished it, cutting inside past two defenders to curl a precise finish into the far bottom corner.

Cagliari woke up too, as Leonardo Pavoletti’s diving header into the far top corner on a Lykogiannis cross from the left.

It was nearly 2-2 at the 88th, as Pavoletti was leaning back for an acrobatic volley that Sorrentino palmed away with great difficulty.