Vincenzo Montella scored to help AS Roma beat Empoli 1-0 and move into first place in the Serie A on Sunday.

Montella headed in Max Tonetto's cross in the 23rd minute for his 136th Serie A goal.

Also, Fabio Grosso equalized in the 38th minute as Inter Milan was held to 1-1 at Cagliari, while Eugenio Corini scored in the 30th to lead Palermo over Chievo Verona 1-0.

Roma and Palermo have 12 points, but Roma leads the league on goal difference. Inter is one point adrift in third place.

AC Milan was held to its second consecutive 0-0 draw by visiting Siena. Milan began the season with an eight-point penalty for its role in Italy's match-fixing scandal and is in 12th place with three points.

Luca Toni scored his third goal of the season in the 79th minute as Fiorentina beat visiting Catania 3-0.

Also, Sampdoria edged visiting Parma 3-2; Livorno beat Messina 1-0; and Udinese drew 0-0 with Ascoli.

At Stadio Olimpico, Montella almost scored a second goal in the 62nd minute but was unable to beat Empoli goalkeeper Daniele Balli.

``He had a good game,'' Roma coach Luciano Spalletti said. ``But really the whole team did well to maintain the balance and not concede a goal.''

Defender Stefano Lucchini squandered Empoli's best chance five minutes later, heading over from close range.

In Sardinia, Grosso levelled with an angled drive from inside the penalty area after Leonardo Colucci put the hosts ahead with a volley in the 17th minute.

Inter's attack of Adriano, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Hernan Crespo lasted only 33 minutes because Crespo was carried off the field with a hamstring injury. He was replaced by midfielder Santiago Solari and Inter reverted to a 4-4-2 formation.

``We were a little unlucky today,'' Inter coach Roberto Mancini said. ``We created enough chances to win the game and the injury to Crespo didn't help our cause.''

Inter next hosts Catania on Oct. 15, while Roma travels to Reggina.

Palermo captain Corini scored with a powerful shot from 10 meters against Chievo for his side's fourth victory in five games.

Chievo remains winless in Serie A.

At San Siro, Milan midfielder Massimo Ambrosini was denied a 90th-minute winner by Siena goalkeeper Alex Manninger's reaction save from point-blank range. Manninger also parried Filippo Inzaghi's 71st-minute header.

Milan striker Alberto Gilardino, who has yet to score this season, hit the post in the 20th.

Toni, who had two goals disallowed for offsides, doubled Fiorentina's lead after midfielder Martin Jorgensen scored in the 54th. Fiorentina captain Dario Dainelli completed the rout, tapping in Jorgensen's corner in the 83rd.

Catania's Lorenzo Stovini was sent off in the 81st for a badly timed tackle on Riccardo Montolivo.

Fiorentina, docked 19 points for its involvement in the scandal, improved to minus-13 but remains in last place.

Four Serie A clubs _ Fiorentina, Milan, Lazio, and Reggina _ were docked points by a sports tribunal in July for their role in the scandal that stripped Juventus of the last two titles and relegated it to Serie B with a 17-point penalty.

On Saturday, defender Massimo Oddo scored twice to lead Lazio over Torino 4-0, while Atalanta drew 1-1 with visiting Reggina.