Fiorentina jumped up four places to fifth in the Serie A table with a comfortable and predictable 3-1 victory at home to Catania.

Even the disadvantage of having to play the second half with 10 men - following captain Dario Dainelli's 44th-minute sending-off for two bookings - made no difference against opponents who were also one down from just before the hour mark when they had left-back Ciro Capuano dismissed.

A goal in each half from Marco Marchionni and Alberto Gilardino's late strike did the trick for Fiorentina - Giuseppe Mascara's 48th-minute leveller raising the visitors' hopes only briefly.

A fourth away defeat of the season resulted and leaves Catania still second from bottom, with only seven points so far.

Fiorentina did not have everything their own way, however, and home goalkeeper Sebastien Frey had to be alert in the first minute when he pushed a well-struck shot from Cristian Llama round the post for a corner.

Fiorentina fans could breathe more easily just four minutes later when Juan Vargas completed a fine run down the left with a well-judged cross to Marchionni, who controlled the ball and beat Mariano Andujar with a shot into the far corner to put the hosts in front.

They threatened again within seconds, Marchionni providing the service this time with a cross which found Gilardino for a header which was deflected out for a corner by covering defenders.

Gilardino had home supporters calling for a penalty when he collected a ball from Mario Santana and went down under a challenge from Christian Terlizzi.

But the referee waved play on.

On the quarter-hour, Frey was needed again to keep out a good shot from Gianvito Plasmati after the visitors had kept the pressure on from a corner.

Fiorentina lost Dainelli's services just before the break when he doubled his booking count with a foul on Llama.

Coach Cesare Prandelli reacted by bringing on central defender Per Kroldrup, at the expense of winger Santana.

That did not stop Mascara hitting the post with a good effort which bounced back and ricocheted away for a corner off Frey's shoulder in first-half injury time - and in the circumstances, Fiorentina were relieved to take a break.

Yet within three minutes of the restart, it was 1-1 thanks to Mascara's unstoppable right-footed shot from 25 yards - which gave Frey no chance.

Fiorentina hit back with shots from Marchionni and Riccardo Montolivo, snuffed out by a hard-working Catania defence.

But the loss of Capuano to a second yellow was a crushing blow for the visitors - and Marchionni cashed in 11 minutes later with a right-foot finish on the end of a fine cross from Lorenzo De Silvestri.

Italy international Gilardino headed wide from a Vargas free-kick.

But he made no mistake with a simple right-foot tap-in four minutes from time - after Vargas and De Silvestri had done the hard work.