Udinese moved to the top of the early Serie A table as Florian Thauvin scored twice in a dramatic 3-2 comeback victory at Parma on Monday.
German Kosta Runjaic's side looked set to lose their unbeaten record as goals from Enrico Del Prato, in the second minute, and Ange-Yoan Bonny gave Parma a 2-0 halftime lead.
Lorenzo Lucca halved the deficit shortly after the restart, though, before former France international Thauvin levelled midway through the second period.
The 31-year-old ex-Marseille and Newcastle forward struck again in the 77th minute, shortly after Parma substitute Mandela Keita had been sent off, to send Udinese a point clear of previous leaders Napoli.
#ParmaUdinese 2-3
— Udinese Calcio (@Udinese_1896) September 16, 2024
90+5 | Full time! WE HAVE DONE IT! Wow!
⚪️⚫️ #ForzaUdinese #AlèUdin pic.twitter.com/WYIF84RIcK
"We are of course very happy with this result, but being first means nothing," said new coach Runjaic.
"It simply shows us what we have to do and that we are on the right track... Our objective remains to stay up and accumulate as many points as possible."
Champions Inter Milan are one of three teams two points behind Udinese after four matches, alongside Juventus and Torino.