Sassuolo lose Thorstvedt to a red card and ship three more goals

Lazio beat Sassuolo at the Mapei Stadium after Kristian Thorstvedt was sent off, and the chances tell a story the scoreline only hints at.

Kristian Thorstvedt scored Sassuolo's first goal in the seventh minute, then was sent off in the 31st with the score already 3-1 to Lazio. From that point Sassuolo played the rest of the match with ten men, and in that time they scored once more and conceded three. A side that finishes a game a man short has had its shape changed, not just its result, so every figure below should be read with that in mind.

Lazio had the ball for 58% of the match. That is well above the 51.3% they usually keep when they play away, and Sassuolo's 42% was also short of the 47.5% they usually have at home. Lazio also took 16 shots, where a typical side in this league takes around 14, and 11 of those came from inside the box, against only 2 for Sassuolo.

Expected goals is a way of scoring chances by how likely each one was to go in, so a big shot from the edge of the box counts for less than a tap-in. Lazio's chances added up to 3.41, roughly two and a half times their usual 1.37 away from home. Sassuolo's were worth 0.82, which is short of the 1.36 they usually create at home, so the gap was real and not just a product of the sending off.

Mattia Zaccagni had the strongest game on either side, with a goal, two assists and a rating of 9.5. He also took a penalty that VAR had confirmed in the 47th minute and missed it three minutes later, which did not stop him from being the most dangerous player on the pitch. Davide Frattesi also missed a penalty for Lazio in the 61st minute, so the visitors did not convert every spot kick they were given.

Sassuolo scored twice, which is a little above the 1.5 goals they usually manage at home, but they conceded six, three times their usual two. Tijjani Noslin scored twice for Lazio after coming on, and Sebastiano Esposito's goal for Sassuolo came just before half-time, cutting the lead to 3-2 before Lazio pulled clear again. Lazio's away record is the sharper one: they have won seven of their eight matches on the road this season.

A typical match in this league produces three goals, and this one produced eight. Sassuolo have now lost four of their eight home games this season, and Lazio have taken seven wins from eight away.

Player of the matchM. Zaccagni1 goal · 2 assists9.5

T. Noslin2 goals8.8

G. Isaksen1 goal · 1 assist8.6

S. Esposito1 goal7.7