Napoli moved top of Serie A with a 3-1 win over Inter Milan but lost Kevin De Bruyne to injury after he scored their opening penalty.
NAPOLI moved top of Serie A with a 3-1 win over Inter Milan on Saturday but lost Kevin De Bruyne to injury after he scored their opening penalty.
The victory ended Napoli’s recent slump and put them one point clear of AC Milan, who drew with Pisa on Friday.
Napoli had lost two of their last three league games before Tuesday’s 6-2 Champions League humiliation at PSV Eindhoven.
“It was a fantastic evening,” said Napoli’s Scott McTominay. “We played like a top team, we knew we had to put in a great performance and we did it.”
Henrikh Mkhitaryan brought down Giovanni Di Lorenzo to concede a 33rd-minute penalty, injuring himself in the challenge.
De Bruyne converted the spot-kick for his fourth Serie A goal since joining from Manchester City.
The 34-year-old immediately clutched his hamstring after scoring and was helped off the field before play resumed.
“We’re going through a tough spell with lots of injuries – Kevin picked up one today too – but we responded with great character,” said Napoli coach Antonio Conte.
Inter president Giuseppe Marotta disputed the penalty award, which came after a video review overturned the referee’s initial decision.
“The unjustified penalty, as shown by the footage, completely changed the dynamic of the match,” he said.
McTominay doubled Napoli’s lead in the 54th minute with a powerful strike from the edge of the box.
Hakan Calhanoglu reduced the deficit five minutes later with a penalty after Alessandro Buongiorno handled a Lautaro Martinez shot.
Andre-Frank Anguissa sealed the win with Napoli’s third goal in the 67th minute, driving home from inside the area.
“Inter were coming off a string of good results, while we were struggling,” said Conte.
“Inter came here to destroy us. We have no desire and no intention of stopping fighting.”
Inter remain fourth behind Roma, who could draw level with Napoli if they win at Sassuolo on Sunday. – AFP
