Palermo 3 Catania 1
Palermo took the honours in the first Sicilian derby of the Serie A season with a convincing win over Catania at the Stadio Renzo Barbera.
Fabrizio Miccoli put the Rosaneri in front after 10 minutes before two goals from Josip Ilicic put them in command.
Francesco Lodi pulled one back for Catania with 20 minutes remaining, but the points were never in any danger as Palermo pulled themselves away from the bottom three with a much-needed victory.
The derby had barely had time to warm up before Miccoli put the home side in front with his 100th goal in the Italian top flight.
He received the ball on the edge of the area and turned to shoot into the top-right corner, beyond the reach of goalkeeper Mariano Andujar.
Catania were already up against it and Palermo did not show them any mercy as they pushed forward repeatedly, going close to a second in the 22nd minute when Franco Brienza's shot from a tight angle struck the crossbar.
In the 38th minute, Miccoli sent a delightful ball over the top for Michel Morganella but he was put off as he was about to shoot by Nicolas Spolli, who timed his tackle to perfection when he risked giving away a penalty.
The only threat...
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