Ghanaian forward Emmanuel Gyasi marked his 27th birthday with a Man of the Match performance as Spezia made it back to back wins with a 2-1 victory over Sampdoria.

The Palermo-born forward lasted the entire duration as the Eagles secured an important home victory to pull away from the relegation threat.

Captain Claudio Terzi gave Spezia a 20th-minute lead after a goalmouth scramble saw him rise high to nod home.

Sampdoria leveled four minutes later following a counter-attack which saw Antonio Candreva half volley a cross from the left.

Spezia regained their lead in the second half after M'bala Nzola converted from the spot following a foul on Tomas Pobega.

Gyasi was cautioned in injury time but his total input in the game earned him a Man of the Match accolade.

The win comes after their midweek triumph over Napoli.

Spezia are now 14th on the serie A table after a decent run in their first campaign.