Rasmus Højlund netted a brace as Napoli reclaimed the top spot in the Serie A table with a 2-1 victory against Juventus at home.
This win allowed the champions to leapfrog Inter Milan by a single point at the top and significantly dampened Juventus’s title hopes, leaving them eight points adrift.
It was an opportunity for Luciano Spalletti, the visiting coach, to celebrate against the team he led to the title in 2023, while also reigniting his current team’s campaign.
However, they fell short against Antonio Conte’s champions, as Højlund scored twice, with the equalizer being a well-crafted goal from Kenan Yildiz.
Napoli took the lead just seven minutes into the match when David Neres sprinted down the right flank, easily beating Teun Koopmeiners before delivering a low cross to the near post.
Højlund arrived with speed, edging past Lloyd Kelly to score with a first-time shot past Michele Di Gregorio.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo nearly doubled the lead with a header from Noa Lang’s cross, but Di Gregorio made an excellent save to keep the ball out of the top corner.
Yildiz later set up Francisco Conceição, whose left-footed strike was wildly off target. Still, it was Napoli who came closest to extending their lead before halftime.
Lang delivered another inviting cross, and Scott McTominay rose to meet it, heading firmly against the post, as Juventus managed to go into the break just one goal down.
Pierre Kalulu was lucky to escape with only a yellow card after a studs-up challenge on the ankle of Mathías Olivera, sparking anger among Napoli’s players and staff over the decision not to reduce Juve to ten men.
Shortly afterward, Juventus equalized, thanks to a brilliant passing move that saw the ball shifted wide to Weston McKennie.
The US international spotted Yildiz’s run into the box and expertly delivered the ball, allowing him to angle it past the goalkeeper into the far corner.
Højlund sealed the win for Napoli with a poacher’s goal twelve minutes before the end. After McKennie carelessly headed a cross back into the danger zone, the Danish striker was on hand to finish the chance, bringing his season total to four goals and returning his team to the top of the Serie A.