Napoli hold off Milan to keep the pressure on Inter in title race | OneFootball

Napoli beat Milan 2-1 at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium to cut the gap on Inter at the top of Serie A back to three points.

Scorers: Politano 2', Lukaku 19'; Jović 84'

Antonio Conte would have wanted a quick start from his side, but even he might not have expected an opening goal after just 62 seconds.

Giovanni Di Lorenzo played the ball forward from the right and Matteo Politano held off two defenders before smashing a low shot past Mike Maignan.

Napoli doubled their lead just before the 20-minute mark. Billy Gilmour was the architect, cutting through midfield before slipping in Romelu Lukaku. His scuffed finish looped over Maignan, who may have gone down too early.

Milan showed little in the first half, but after the break, their changes led to two big chances for substitute Santiago Giménez

The first came after good play from fellow sub Rafael Leão and Samuel Chukwueze gave him the chance to cut inside and shoot on goal. However, the Mexican international failed to threaten Alex Meret.

The second did see Giménez warm the palms of the keeper, but only as he missed a penalty in the 69th minute.

Instead, nother subsitute striker, Luka Jović handed the Rossoneri a lifeline with six minutes remaining. Théo Hernandez got space on the left, and his inch perfect ball across the box was bundled in by the Serb.

Napoli just about held on, cutting Inter’s lead back to three points. With eight games remaining, we could be set for the tightest Scudetto race in several years.

📸 CARLO HERMANN - AFP or licensors