Antonio Di Natale the man for Udinese

Antonio Di Natale the man for Udinese

Two late goals gave Udinese all three points as they leapfrogged opponents Genoa in Serie A thanks to a 2-0 victory.

Antonio Di Natale netted his eighth goal in six games in the 82nd minute to unlock a tight game, before Simone Pepe secured all three points one minute from the end.

The result takes the Bianconeri up to fifth while Genoa, who have now picked up just one point in their last three games, drop to sixth, five points adrift of their city rivals Sampdoria, who lead the way at the top.

Genoa recovered from their first defeat of the season last weekend by claiming a 2-2 draw against Juventus on Thursday, but the strains of that game soon started to show, particularly as coach Gian Piero Gasperini resisted the temptation to rotate his side.

Only Rodrigo Palacio and Domenico Criscito were new in his starting XI while Udinese started with their strongest possible side, with seven-goal hitman Antonio Di Natale leading a four-man attack which also included Simone Pepe, Antonio Floro Flores and Alexis Sanchez.

With such an array of attacking talent on show - Genoa had Hernan Crespo, Giuseppe Sculli and Palacio in their front-line - goals could have been expected, but in the end, they were at a premium.

Palacio had the first chance to score in the eighth minute with a shot out of nothing which just missed the outside of the post.

Pepe had an even better chance for Udinese three minutes later when Salvatore Bocchetti misjudged a lofted pass over his head, but the Italy international volleyed inches over the crossbar from 10 yards.

Crespo could have earned Genoa a penalty had he gone down under the challenge of Aleksander Lukovic, but he stayed on his feet in a bid to get in a shot which, given Lukovic's foul, became complicated.

Di Natale had the next chance in the 37th minute with the ball getting caught between his feet, although he was still able to get in a shot from 20 yards which tested Marco Amelia in the Udinese goal.

Crespo then headed over after beating the offside trap to reach Omar Milanetto's lobbed pass shortly before the interval.

Genoa were appealing for a penalty early in the second half when Palacio's cross hit the hand of Maurizio Domizzi. The referee decided the offence had taken place outside the area, however, and only awarded a free-kick.

The game seemed to be heading for a draw until Di Natale showed why his name is at the top of the Serie A goalscoring charts in the 82nd minute.

He started and finished the move which broke the deadlock, playing a neat one-two inside the penalty area with Sanchez before shooting on the turn to beat Amelia, who got a touch on the ball, but not enough to prevent it from going in.

And Pepe sealed the win in the last minute with a fine shot in off the inside of the post to take the Bianconeri above the Rossoblu in the Serie A standings.