Serie A round-up: Gonzalo Higuain keeps Napoli in Scudetto hunt

Gonzalo Higuain's penalty saw Napoli squeeze past Palermo 1-0 and maintain their pursuit of the Serie A title.

The Azzurri are three points behind reigning champions and current leaders Juventus with nine games remaining after former Real Madrid striker Higuain matched his career-best haul of 27 league goals in a season.

Napoli dominated their Sicilian hosts throughout but needed the award of a spot-kick on 22 minutes for Higuain to strike the decisive blow.

Walter Novellino's Palermo, meanwhile, are flirting with relegation as 18th-placed Frosinone are just one point behind them.

Roma remain an outside bet in the title race after beating Udinese 2-1 to register an eighth straight victory.

Luciano Spalletti has reinvigorated the Giallorossi since replacing Rudi Garcia as head coach and a bright start at the Stadio Friuli produced Edin Dzeko's opening goal.

Alessandro Florenzi made the points safe in the second half, with Bruno Fernandes' late consolation providing little comfort for under-fire Udinese boss Stefano Colantuono.

Fiorentina are all but out of Scudetto contention after Eros Pisano's late leveller saw Hellas Verona snatch a 1-1 draw in Florence.

Mauro Zarate's first-half opener looked like sustaining the Tuscans' faint hopes of a first championship since 1969 but right-back Pisano punished their profligacy with a towering header on the stroke of full-time.

In the race for Europa League football, Ignazio Abate and Andrea Bertolacci were both denied by the crossbar as sixth-placed AC Milan were denied three valuable points at Chievo.

Lazio could feasibly catch the Rossoneri after two goals from veteran striker Miroslav Klose downed Atalanta 2-0 in Rome.

Genoa recovered from going two goals down to pull well clear of the relegation zone with a 3-2 victory over Torino.

Ciro Immobile scored twice inside the opening 15 minutes but former Torino winger Alessio Cerci pegged his old side back with a pair of penalties.

Luca Rigoni then completed the comeback by heading Suso's free-kick beyond Daniele Padelli.

Elsewhere, substitute Jonathan de Guzman fired Carpi to a vital 2-1 victory over relegation rivals Frosinone.

The Dutch midfielder dragged the promoted side to within two points of safety with his 90th-minute penalty at the Stadio Alberto Braglia.

Carpi had taken the lead through Raffaele Bianco, but Frosinone levelled with Federico Dionisi's close-range finish.