Lippi offers resignation

Marcello Lippi last night offered his resignation as coach of Juventus after his side crashed to a 4-2 defeat to Parma.

"If the problem with this team is me, then here's my resignation. Let's see this team without the Lippi-problem," he said. "I've tried to do everything possible to wake this team up, but I've failed." Juventus president Vittorio Chiusani said Lippi's statement had shocked the club. "It has taken us by surprise. Tomorrow we will make our decision."

Parma's first-ever victory at Juventus in nine visits looked remote when the home side's Alessio Tacchinardi found the net in the 15th minute with a fierce 30-metre drive.

But two goals from Argentinian Hernan Crespo and a third from Enrico Chiesa in just eight minutes put the visitors 3-1 up at halftime. Crespo completed his hattrick straight after the break with a back-heel into the net.

The result leaves the European Cup quarter-finalists in ninth place, 15 points adrift of league leaders Fiorentina. But it revived Parma's own title hopes after a poor spell in which they had managed only one point from their last three matches.

Fiorentina were held to a goalless draw at home by title rivals AC Milan while Parma moved into third place, five points behind.

Second-placed Lazio also gained advantage from Fiorentina's failure to win, cutting the first division pacesetter's advantage to a single point with a 3-0 home win over Perugia.

Fiorentina top the table with 42 points from 20 matches, with Lazio on 41 and Parma ahead of AC Milan on goal difference with both on 37.

There was more bad news for Fiorentina after the match when manager Giovanni Trapattoni said a knee injury to Gabriel Batistuta could keep his inspirational captain out of action for 40 days.

Club doctors said it would take 48 hours to assess the seriousness of the injury.

Argentine Matias Almeyda spared Lazio's blushes in the 30th minute at the Olympic stadium as his goalline clearance denied Salvatore Matrecano a shock opener for Perugia - even though the ball appeared to have crossed the line.

The visitors were left to rue what might have been 12 minutes later when their defenders stood and watched Marcelo Salas retreat from an off-side position allowing Christian Vieri to break through unopposed and claim his sixth goal in eight matches.

Within three minutes Salas had put Lazio 2-0 up after shielding the ball from three defenders. Roberto Mancini's pinpoint cross in the 76th minute provided the Chilean's second.

France's Youri Djorkaeff hit a hat-trick as fifth-placed Inter Milan took their recent record at the San Siro to 25 goals in five matches with a 5-1 rout of 10-man Empoli.

Udinese stretched their unbeaten run to six matches with a 2-1 win at Salernitana that lifts them ahead of AS Roma, beaten 3-1 by a resurgent Venezia.

Swede Kennet Andersson claimed his first goal since October as Bologna recovered after conceding Peter Knudsen's fifth minute goal to win 3-1 at home to Bari who had Daniel Andersson and South African Phil Masinga sent off in the second half.

In Spain, a goal in the dying minutes from Dutch international Patrick Kluivert kept Barcelona three points clear at the top of the Spanish first division yesterday, securing a 2-1 win at Extremadura.

The Catalan giants now have 40 points from 21 games to lead a trio of clubs three points further back. That group includes bitter rivals Real Madrid, who had Spanish international star Raul to thank after the youngster's hat trick - including two penalties - saw off battling Valladolid 3-2 at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

Barcelona had to come from behind after Carlos Alejandro Dure opened the scoring for Extremadura in the 19th minute. Midfield old hand Luis Enrique equalised 10 minutes later and Kluivert poached the winner with eight minutes left.

Celta Vigo head Real and Valencia on goal difference in second spot after ending a poor patch of form with a thumping 4-1 home win over struggling Villarreal. Valencia saw their title hopes take a jolt Saturday after they could only draw 0-0 with Deportivo La Coruna.

Bordeaux's French international striker Lilian Laslandes is set to miss Wednesday's Wembley showdown with England with a pulled thigh muscle.

"According to information I have Lilian will not be able to play on Wednesday," said Bordeaux joint-president Jean-Didier Lange.