Jamie Vardy scored his first double in Serie A to help Cremonese beat high-flying Bologna.

The former England and Leicester City forward's goals inflicted a first home defeat of the season on the hosts, who would have moved one point behind joint leaders AC Milan and Napoli with victory.

After Martin Payero's 31st-minute opener, 38-year-old Vardy's well-timed run got him in behind the Bologna defence to slot past goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia to double Cremonese's advantage four minutes later.

Though Riccardo Orsolini's penalty reduced the deficit for the hosts, Vardy struck again five minutes into the second half at a wet Stadio Renato Dall'Ara to end his side's three-match losing streak.

"I think we were just missing a bit of rain - this is a typical midweek in the UK," Vardy said after the win.

"The most important thing was getting the three points and keeping that progress going. It's another step in the right direction.

"It's all about commitment and wanting what's best for the club. Everyone's on that same page and everyone's pushing forward to make sure that come the end of the season it will have been a successful year."

Vardy has now scored four goals in nine matches for the promoted side, who are in 11th place with 17 points from 13 matches.

"Great players are easy to handle as they know what they're supposed to do - and they know how to do it," Cremonese manager Davide Nicola said.

"They set themselves apart for their qualities as players, but also for their spirit and how they behave.

"That's how he is - he's comfortable with who he is, good humoured. He came here with the mentality of making himself available for the team."

Vardy joined Cremonese in September on a free transfer, signing a one-year contract with a further year on offer should the club avoid relegation.

He scored 200 goals in 500 games for Leicester, guiding them to the Premier League title in 2015-16 and the FA Cup in 2021, while he also scored seven goals in 26 England appearances.