Sampdoria and Fiorentina scored precious away wins to maintain their hopes of European football next season as AC Milan saw their hopes of Champions League football dented by a shock 1-0 home loss to Atalanta.
Gonzalo Bergessio and Roberto Soriano pounced on poor Parma defending to score one apiece in the second half to hand Sinisia Mihajlovic's visitors a second consecutive win for the first time since October.
Samp's eighth win of the campaign sent them up to fourth in Serie A but the Genoa-based high-flyers trail Napoli, who moved up to third after a 1-0 win away to Lazio earlier, only on goals difference.
Having lost only twice this season and with strikers Luis Muriel and Samuel Eto'o reportedly on the verge of signing, coach Mihajlovic was buoyant.
"We're having a great campaign, and that makes me very happy," he told Sky Sport. "On paper, there are teams with much better squads than ours but we're right behind them.
"No other Samp side has amassed so many points at this stage of the season. We've lost only twice in 19 games so I'm very happy."
Fiorentina had failed to string two wins together since November and Vincenzo Montella's men looked to be heading for another draw away to struggling Chievo after Sergio Pellissier struck for the hosts in the 74th minute to level Gonzalo Rodriguez's 35th minute opener.
However Chievo suffered a costly lapse of concentration in added-on time, when Senegalese centre-forward Khouma Babacar sent a looping header over 'keeper Benjamin Bizzarri.
La Viola's eighth win of the campaign moved them up to sixth, 13 points adrift of leaders and champions Juventus and only three behind Napoli in the third and last Champions League qualifying place.
Montella was quick to praise Babacar, but told Sky: "The win has put some order into the league standings. We kept on plugging away at the end while running the risk of conceding a late goal.
"I'm happy Babacar scored the decisive goal but I still believe he has so much more to offer."
Milan expected a tough encounter against Atalanta at the San Siro, having beaten the Bergamo-based side only twice in their past 11 meetings.
And the visitors made life even tougher when German Denis beat Spanish 'keeper Diego Lopez with the outside of his right boot after a fine attacking move launched after Frenchman Jeremy Menez lost possession in midfield when attempting a needless backheel flick.
On-loan Atletico Madrid forward Alessio Cerci made his debut for the Rossoneri, but was replaced in the second half by Giampaolo Pazzini as Milan scurried for an equaliser, only to succumb to a fifth defeat of the season.
Milan remain in eighth at 17 points behind Juve and now seven behind Napoli, who had Gonzalo Higuain's 18th minute strike to thank for a precious win away at Lazio.
Inzaghi said he accepted responsibility for the reverse, but added: "We have to wake up and start playing better, right now we're missing something and I have to shoulder the responsibility
"Maybe we're a little anxious about our situation, but we can't forget this is Milan and it's up to us to impose our game.
"We gifted them a counter-attack, and that's something we have to improve on."
Genoa, meanwhile, remain in European contention in seventh but fought back to level three times before snatching a share of the spoils from a 3-3 home draw with Sassuolo thanks to Giannis Fetfatzidis's late spot-kick.
Elsewhere, Maxi Lopez hit a late winner to hand Torino the points at Cesena, who saw Franco Brienza hit two spot-kicks, the second pulling the hosts level following first-half strikes by Marco Benassi and Fabio Quagliarella.
A faint smile returned to the face of embattled Cagliari coach Gianfranco Zola thanks to Danilo Avelar's last-gasp spot-kick which gave the Sardinians a share of the spoils in a 2-2 draw away Udinese.
Juventus can take their lead over title challengers Roma, held 1-1 at Palermo on Saturday, to five points later on Sunday if they beat Verona in Turin.
Massimiliano Allegri's men drubbed Verona 6-1 in an Italian Cup last 16 tie in midweek.
Source: AFP