The hosts started the match on the front foot and in determined fashion, clearly eager to finally record back-to-back league victories for the first time this season.
Pisa goalkeeper Nícolas was called into urgent action to deny Fiorentina from taking an early lead when he palmed away a stinging effort from Cher Ndour after eight minutes played. The visitors didn’t heed that warning, though, and it didn’t take long for the Viola to make the breakthrough.
Shortly before the quarter-hour mark, the ball fell perfectly at the feet of Moise Kean, who promptly lashed the ball home from eight yards out to notch his eighth Serie A goal of the season.
The Italy international was later presented with a great opportunity to double La Viola’s advantage less than 10 minutes before the interval, but his close-range header from inside the box sailed over the bar following an exquisite delivery by Marco Brescianini on the left flank.
There was no question that Paolo Vanoli’s side fully deserved to hold the lead at half-time, with Pisa’s attacking threat leaving a lot to be desired.
Fiorentina continued to apply pressure on Pisa’s defence immediately after the restart, and they soon found themselves with a free-kick in a very dangerous area.
However, Nicolo Fagioli’s eventual effort was parried away by Nicolas before Luca Ranieri’s outstanding tackle prevented Pisa’s Henrik Meister from equalising on a rare venture forwards for the Nerazzurri.
With just under 20 minutes to go, there was still a lingering feeling that the hosts needed a second goal to kill the game off completely. They came close to finding that breathing space when Kean’s drilled effort produced an excellent save from Nícolas to tip the ball around the post and keep his side in contention.
With time running out for the Nerazzurri to level the game, La Viola almost made certain of the three points thanks to a great strike from Ndour, only for Nicolas to once again pull out an important save from the top drawer.
Ultimately, Fiorentina saw out a crucial derby victory, moving them up to 16th in Serie A ahead of a second-leg play-off fixture in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday, with a place in the round of 16 at stake.
Meanwhile, Pisa are now on a miserable run of 15 games without a win and are nine points adrift of safety in 19th place.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Luca Ranieri (Fiorentina)