Napoli maintained their pursuit of Serie A leaders Inter Milan with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over AC Milan at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium on Sunday. First-half goals from Matteo Politano and Romelu Lukaku proved decisive as Antonio Conte's side reduced the gap at the top to just three points. Despite a valiant second-half display from Milan, including a goal from substitute Luka Jović, the hosts held firm to secure their second win in eight league matches and keep pressure on the Scudetto frontrunners.
Dominant First-Half Display Sets the Tone
Napoli burst out of the blocks with remarkable intensity, taking just 65 seconds to break the deadlock. Giovanni Di Lorenzo's long ball found Matteo Politano, who controlled it expertly before clinically sweeping the ball into the bottom corner beyond goalkeeper Mike Maignan.The early goal energized both the crowd and Conte's players, who continued to press forward with purpose.The hosts doubled their advantage in the 19th minute through a well-worked move. Billy Gilmour delivered a perfectly timed pass to find Romelu Lukaku free in the box. The Belgian striker took one touch to compose himself before finishing coolly into the far corner, albeit with a somewhat imperfect execution.This two-goal cushion reflected Napoli's dominance in the opening stages, with Milan struggling to establish any meaningful possession or attacking rhythm.Antonio Conte's tactical approach was clearly working, as his team controlled the midfield and consistently threatened the Milan defense. The Rossoneri, currently sitting ninth in the table, appeared disjointed and unable to contain Napoli's fluid attacking movements throughout the first half.The home side entered the break with a comfortable two-goal advantage, having produced what Conte would later describe as "a first half of absolute quality."
Milan's Second-Half Resurgence
The visitors emerged with renewed determination after the interval. Sergio Conceição's men gradually began to assert themselves more effectively, with Santiago Gimenez becoming increasingly influential in the attacking third, though he squandered an opportunity by cutting wastefully over from the edge of the box.As time progressed into the final 25 minutes, Milan were presented with a golden opportunity to reduce the deficit when Philip Billing bundled into Theo Hernandez in the penalty area. Santiago Gimenez stepped up to take the spot-kick, but Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret produced a critical save to deny what was described as a "tame penalty" from the forward.Despite this setback, Milan continued to apply pressure and were eventually rewarded for their persistence in the 84th minute. Hernandez delivered a precise low cross that substitute Luka Jović tapped home from close range, setting up a tense finale. The goal gave the visitors renewed belief as they pushed forward in search of an equalizer during the closing stages.The Rossoneri came agonizingly close to completing their comeback in stoppage time, with Jović missing a significant opportunity by shooting wide.However, Napoli's defense stood firm to secure three vital points in their quest to challenge Inter for the Serie A title.
Conte Highlights Importance of Victory
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Napoli head coach Antonio Conte expressed satisfaction with his team's performance while acknowledging the challenges they had faced."Absolutely. I was telling the staff that you hate days like these when you have serious problems to solve. Today was a very tough and exhausting day, but I'm happy because I got a great response from the guys," Conte stated. "Anguissa wasn't supposed to start, and we also took a risk with Neres, who hadn't played for more than a month and a half. After 7-8 months, the players have absorbed various situations. Then, in the second half, when Frank and David ran out of energy, and when Lobotka came off as well, it became difficult."The Italian tactician emphasized the significance of the result in the context of Napoli's season objectives: "Today was an important match. Now we have a 9-point lead over the fifth-placed team, besides being back to -3 from Inter. The Champions League would be an extremely important achievement, considering the other squads. Staying within three points of Inter was very important."Conte also praised his substitutes for their contributions during Milan's second-half pressure: "Even those who came on had to do so in a moment of pressure. Compliments to the substitutes because it wasn't easy. I hope to recover everyone because that way, we can be a threat until the end. Otherwise, we might drop something along the way."
Serie A Title Race Context
The victory keeps Napoli firmly in the title hunt, sitting in second place with 60 points, just three behind leaders Inter Milan who maintained their advantage by defeating Udinese 2-1 earlier in the day. Atalanta remain in third position with 58 points, having suffered a 1-0 defeat against Fiorentina with Mo Kean scoring the only goal of that match.Atalanta coach Gianpiero Gasperini has already suggested his team's title hopes had diminished following their defeat to Inter earlier in March, stating: "It was a dream that I believe vanished during the match against Inter on March 16. Now we have teams below us that are on impressive runs. We still have a slight advantage, and we will be playing five of our last eight matches at home."For Milan, the defeat leaves them languishing in ninth position with 44 points, significantly adrift of the Champions League qualification places that Napoli now look increasingly likely to secure. The Rossoneri were missing midfielder Rub Loftusheek, who underwent surgery to remove his appendix earlier in the day, potentially contributing to their first-half struggles in midfield.
Match Statistics and Historical Context
In the historical head-to-head record between these two prestigious Italian clubs, Napoli have now won 14 direct matches compared to Milan's 12, with 14 ending in draws.This victory represents Napoli's first win in this fixture after three consecutive matches where both teams failed to score and the total goals remained under 2.5.Throughout the 2024-25 season, Napoli have averaged 1.75 goals per match, while AC Milan have averaged 1.73 goals per game.The result maintains Napoli's strong home record, where they have scored over 1.5 goals in 15 of their 21 matches (71.43%) this season.The match featured the contrasting fortunes of two sides with different seasonal objectives – Napoli pursuing the Scudetto while Milan struggle to salvage European qualification from a disappointing campaign that has seen them also eliminated from the Champions League, where they sit 13th in the standings with 15 points from 8 matches.
Conclusion
With eight matches remaining in the Serie A season, this result keeps the title race compelling as Napoli continue to put pressure on leaders Inter Milan. Conte's side displayed both attacking prowess in the first half and defensive resilience in the second period to overcome a Milan team that showed character despite their difficult league position.The victory demonstrates Napoli's championship credentials, particularly given the squad challenges highlighted by Conte in his post-match comments. As the season enters its final stretch, the three-point gap to Inter suggests the Scudetto competition could potentially go down to the wire, with Napoli firmly established as the primary challengers to the defending champions.