Sassuolo were consigned to their first defeat of the season thanks to a Massimo Maccarone inspired Empoli performance at the Stadio Carlo Castellani.
The veteran popped up with three minutes remaining to head past Consigli between the sticks to lift his side out of the relegation zone.
Tuscans begin the brightest
The home side, bereft of Ricardo Saponara, creator-in-chief, after his dismissal against Frosinone on Monday evening, made the brighter of the starts. Massimo Maccarone went close via a deft free-kick when he darted into space and dragged his effort just wide of the post.
Sassuolo, though, responded with an opportunity of their own. In fact, it was Maccarone who almost diverted the ball into his own net from a Antonio Floro Flores set-piece.
The ex-Boro forward was involved again when, with 12 minutes on the clock, he scurried down the right and sent a tantalising ball across the face of the penalty area. Alas, there was no finish to match.
Empoli’s promising start bled past the 20th minute mark when Maccarone went close on the half-turn.
Alfred Duncan was then forced into a last ditch challenge when Rade Krunic slalomed his way through the Sassuolo midfield.
The Empoli siege showed little signs of ebbing, with Manuel Pucciarelli’s strike, after he had deftly hoodwinking Missiroli, cannoning into the back of Cannavaro.
Trading blows
No sooner had the second period gotten underway when the best chance of the match fell to debutant Krunic. The midfielder latched onto an expertly weighted through-ball from Puccarielli but, with only the goalkeeper to beat, sent his effort into the side netting.
Sassuolo boss Eusebio Di Francesco sent for Nicola Sansone on the hour mark to provide the much-needed ingenuity. Already shorn of Domenico Berardi through injury, Gregoire Defrel was starved of service in attack.
His impact was immediately felt when he took aim from range and curled his effort inches wide of the top corner. The visitors’ influence was growing, it seemed.
But Zielinski then tried his luck from distance and forced Consigli into fingertips, before the Sassuolo No. 1 was equal to substitute Livaja’s effort.
The Tuscans were caught on the break on 78 minutes when Floro Flores strode down the left, shimmied inside and flashed his effort wide. That would prove to be the Neroverdi talisman’s last involvement.
Empoli, though, retorted with an opportunity of their own. Consigli was prompted into his third stop of the half from the ever-present Krunic.
Hosts get their rewards
Just as the three points were slipping from Empoli’s graps, Maccarone, the hosts most menacing player on the afternoon, popped up with a winning goal three minutes from time. The forward rose highest from Zielinski’s corner to power his header past a hapless Consigli.
The architect of the goal, however, was dismissed minutes later and Empoli would be forced to defend with ten men for the four minutes of additional time. Fortunately, they clung on.