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Napoli returned to the summit of Serie A on Saturday with a 3–1 victory over Inter Milan, ending a slump that had seen them lose two of their previous three league games. However, the triumph came at a cost as Kevin De Bruyne was forced off with a hamstring injury after scoring his fourth league goal of the season.
The win lifted Napoli one point clear of AC Milan, who had drawn 1–1 with Pisa on Friday, and halted the slide following a 6–2 Champions League defeat at PSV Eindhoven earlier in the week. The hosts responded in front of their home crowd at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona with a spirited performance.
Napoli were awarded a penalty in the 33rd minute when Henrikh Mkhitaryan fouled Giovanni Di Lorenzo, though the Armenian also injured himself in the process and had to be substituted. De Bruyne stepped up to convert from the spot, marking his fourth Serie A goal of the season, but immediately clutched his hamstring and was helped from the pitch.
Scott McTominay doubled Napoli’s lead in the 54th minute with a powerful strike from the edge of the box. Inter’s Hakan Calhanoglu pulled one back from the penalty spot five minutes later after Alessandro Buongiorno handled Lautaro Martinez’s shot. Andre-Frank Anguissa sealed the victory for Napoli with a third goal in the 67th minute.
Napoli coach Antonio Conte praised his side’s resilience, saying, “We’re going through a tough spell with lots of injuries – Kevin picked up one today too – but we responded with great character. Inter came here to destroy us, but despite everything, we played an excellent game and the win was legitimate and deserved.”
Inter president Giuseppe Marotta criticised the VAR-awarded penalty that opened the scoring, describing it as “unjustified” and a turning point, though he acknowledged that Napoli could have won regardless. Inter remain fourth in the table behind Roma, who visit Sassuolo on Sunday, and could still draw level with Napoli.
Elsewhere, Atalanta preserved their unbeaten Serie A record with a 1–1 draw at Cremonese, though they remain only eighth in the table after six draws in eight league matches. Jamie Vardy scored his first Serie A goal to put Cremonese ahead in the 79th minute, but Marco Brescianini equalised just two minutes later, sending the points away from the hosts.
