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Napoli climbed level with AC Milan at the top of Serie A on Sunday following a hard-fought 1-0 win at Roma, while Inter Milan stayed in close contention by beating Pisa 2-0.
David Neres scored the decisive goal for Napoli in the 36th minute at the Stadio Olimpico, calmly finishing off a swift counter-attack to put the visitors on 28 points.
The result leaves Napoli behind Milan only on goal difference and a point clear of both Roma and Inter in a tightly contested title race.
Napoli will next face Juventus, giving Antonio Conte’s side a chance to consolidate their position.
“To come to Rome and play with authority as we did wasn’t easy,” Conte told DAZN. “Roma have been enjoying positive results lately, but we showed that if we want it, we can achieve it.”
Despite missing key players including Kevin De Bruyne, Andre-Frank Anguissa, Billy Gilmour and long-term absentee Romelu Lukaku, Conte has found a potent attacking combination in Neres and Noa Lang, who linked effectively with centre-forward Rasmus Hojlund.
Napoli’s robust defending restricted Roma to a few meaningful opportunities, with goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic making a crucial save in the 90th minute to deny Tommaso Baldanzi.
Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini admitted his side struggled with rhythm and tempo.
“We weren’t quick enough, and too many touches slowed the ball down, making it difficult,” he said.
The defeat marks Roma’s third loss to direct title rivals this season.
Inter maintained pressure on the top two with a 2-0 victory at Pisa. Lautaro Martinez opened the scoring in the 69th minute from Pio Esposito’s low cross before sealing the win with a close-range finish seven minutes from time.
The striker’s brace brought him to 10 goals across all competitions and secured vital points after recent defeats to Atletico Madrid and AC Milan.
“I’m happy because we won; that’s what matters after two setbacks,” Martinez told DAZN. “The team comes before everything else.”
Meanwhile, Atalanta defeated Fiorentina 2-0 thanks to first-half strikes from Odilon Kossounou and Ademola Lookman.
Newly appointed coach Raffaele Palladino celebrated his first league victories with the Bergamo side, who now sit 11th on 16 points, while Fiorentina remain winless and six points from safety.
