Playing two days later than originally scheduled following the announcement that Pope Francis had passed away on Monday, Cagliari needed only seven minutes to strike first.
Roberto Piccoli found himself in the right place at the right time as David de Gea's failure to deal with an incoming cross allowed the Rossoblu’s top scorer to take a touch before expertly firing through the Spaniard's legs to give his side a valuable lead.
With momentum on their side, it was nearly 2-0 less than five minutes later as Nadir Zortea’s effort from just outside the area cannoned back off the post.
Following an action-packed opening quarter-hour, Fiorentina were nearly level when Rolando Mandragora’s free-kick beat Elia Caprile but not the woodwork.
Without 17-goal striker Moise Kean due to personal reasons, Fiorentina were forced to wait until shortly before the half-hour for their first shot on target as Albert Gudmundsson’s solo effort was brilliantly kept out by Caprile.
However, there was nothing that the shot-stopper could do to prevent Raffaele Palladino’s side from levelling in the 36th minute.
Mandragora’s defence-splitting pass found the marauding run of Robin Gosens, who slotted into the far corner with the outside of his boot.
There was still time for Cagliari to be denied a penalty in first-half stoppage time, as after pointing to the spot for a Marin Pongracic foul, VAR convinced referee Livio Marinelli to overturn his decision to gasps of disbelief inside the Unipol Domus.
Carrying the momentum from the first half, it took just three minutes for Fiorentina to complete the turnaround after the restart.
Drafted into the Viola XI as Kean’s direct replacement, Lucas Beltran repaid Palladino's faith by heading home Dodo’s delightful delivery to give his side the lead.
After a relatively quiet period, De Gea was finally called into action again as he expertly denied substitute Razvan Marin’s rocket from range.
Despite the hosts’ best efforts to secure a late share of the spoils, Fiorentina remained composed, remaining three points behind sixth-placed Lazio with five matches left to play this season. Meanwhile, Cagliari remain five points above the bottom three, ending the campaign with a daunting final-day trip to title challengers Napoli.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Robin Gosens (Fiorentina)
