Napoli Extend Their Lead at the Top of Serie A Table After a 2–0 Win Over AC Milan

Is there a more in-form team in Italy than Napoli? The Partenopei maintained their impressive start to the 2024/25 season with a win over AC Milan. Goals from Romelu Lukaku and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia handed Napoli a 2-0 win, which now sees them extend their lead at the top of Serie A table to seven points.

Antonio Conte is working wonders in Naples. After embarking on the worst title defense in Serie A history last season, Napoli look like real title contenders once again. Their 2-0 win over the Rossoneri was another statement performance. AC Milan came into the game as the fresher side, after their game against Bologna was postponed due to safety concerns. However, Napoli started the game on the frontfoot, as summer signing Romelu Lukaku opened the scoring in the 5th minute with a well-placed strike into Mike Maignan’s bottom left corner.  

Shell-socked by Napoli’s early goal, the Rossoneri started to create chances. Yunus Musah nearly leveled the game with a beautiful curling effort that grazed just wide of the post. Emerson Royal and Samuel Chukeweze also came close to finding an equalizer. But while Milan dominated the possession stats, Conte’s men did all the damage. Kvaratskhelia extended Napoli’s lead just two minutes from halftime with a stunning curling effort from 25 yards. With a two-goal lead at halftime, the Partenopei were in prime position to claim a famous win at San Siro. But right after the restart, Alvaro Morata looked to give Milan hope, netting a stunning header—only for the goal to be disallowed for offside. 

From then on, Napoli held onto their two-goal advantage till the final whistle. With 62% possession, Milan mustered 13 shots, out of which only five were on target. On the flip side, Napoli were ruthless. They managed to score two goals from just four shots on target. This gap in ruthlessness proved to be the difference between the two sides. As a result of this win, Napoli have now extended their lead at the top of Serie A standings to seven points. However, second-placed Inter Milan have a game in hand.  

Following the victory at San Siro, a jubilant Antonio Conte expressed his thoughts in a post-match interview. He said, “Scudetto? No one is hiding. We see realistically what we are doing this year. After 10 games it has something of the incredible and unexpected, not even the craziest would have predicted it. But we remain with our feet on the ground.” Conte also went on to downplay Napoli’s title credentials, suggesting that the Partenopei are in the midst of a rebuild and a place in the Champions League is the primary goal of the 2024/25 season. He said, “We know what our goal is, which is to return to Europe. But there are five or six teams that have the same idea. Winning in Naples would be something incredible. We have given ourselves three years. We are rebuilding something and it takes time.” 

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