The striker put the home side ahead on the stroke of half-time, before Palermo suffered a setback when substitute Andrea Caracciolo was dismissed for receiving his second yellow card of the game.

Rigano then wrapped up the three points when he fired home just after the hour mark at the Celeste stadium.

Lazio kept their Champions League hopes on track by securing a 1-0 home win over Sampdoria.

Tommaso Rocchi's header midway through the first half gave the Biancoceleste their fourth victory in a row.

The result allowed the Romans to hang on to their fourth position in the standings, as they are two points clear of Empoli and three above AC Milan.

Udinese's hopes of a UEFA Cup berth were dealt a huge blow as Nicola Pozzi's first-half goal handed Empoli a 1-0 triumph at the Stadio Friuli.

The defeat stretches Udinese's winless run to six games and leaves them eight points behind Milan, who hold the final European spot in Serie A.

Luca Toni struck twice to inspire Fiorentina to a come-from-behind 5-1 win over Torino.

At the wrong end of the table, Giuseppe Rossi's penalty in the seventh minute of added time earned Parma a 2-2 draw against Reggina, although the striker had spurned a golden opportunity for his side to claim the win by missing an earlier spot-kick.

Cagliari ended a run of three straight defeats and picked up vital points in their battle to avoid relegation with a 2-0 victory over Atalanta.

Catania ended their run of three successive defeats with a 1-1 draw against Siena.

The match was again played at the neutral ground of Rimini and behind closed doors as Catania's punishment continues following the violence which marred last month's Sicilian derby with Palermo.