Fiorentina edged a topsy-turvy Tuscan derby meeting with Empoli to remain in the frame for a fourth-placed finish in Serie A.
Two goals from Josip Ilicic proved key in a 3-2 victory at the Stadio Carlo Castellani that moved La Viola to within five points of Napoli following the southerners' draw at Parma.
Riccardo Saponara and substitute Levan Mchedlidze scored for 13th-placed Empoli, while Mohamed Salah's odd goal in five arrived shortly after half-time and gave Fiorentina the momentum they needed to ride out the win.
Vincenzo Montella's men wasted no time opening the scoring against their local rivals, with Ilicic driving through the middle of the Empoli defence before beating Luigi Sepe with a low left-footed strike.
La Viola could not press home their advantage while the hosts struggled to make any attacking move stick until shortly before the half-hour mark.
Shortly after Alberto Aquilani had blasted over Sepe's crossbar, Empoli raced down the pitch to level through Saponara, who skipped past Jose Maria Basanta and bested Neto with his left boot.
Both sides would flirt with scoring again before the break - Fiorentina perhaps coming closer to finding the next goal - but defences were on top and it was all square at half-time.
Neto spared Gonzalo Rodriguez from embarrassment and his team from a certain own goal by dealing with a dodgy backpass shortly after play resumed.
Saponara presented a much bigger threat to the Fiorentina goal, though, and he almost fired Empoli ahead with a curling shot that shaved a post.
But the visitors would score next, and through a familiar source.
Half-time substitute Salah scored the eighth goal of his loan spell from Chelsea after beating the offside trap to leave Daniele Rugani and Vincent Laurini spinning before he slotted home.
Fiorentina turned the screw and opened a two-goal lead through Ilicic in the 68th minute.
The Slovenian schemer took full advantage of a poor clearance from Laurini to convert his brace with a precise left-footed shot on the turn.
Empoli were not ready to lie down, however, and they quickly narrowed the deficit once again, with Mchedlidze skipping past Basanta and then firing beyond Neto just moments after entering the fray.
The Azzurri kept pushing and Mirko Valdifiori rattled the far post directly from a corner to keep Viola nerves jangling.
ends