SSC Napoli boosted their fading Serie A title ambitions with a commanding 4-0 victory over struggling US Cremonese at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Determined to respond after suffering their first home league defeat of the campaign last weekend, Antonio Conte’s men came flying out of the blocks and immediately pinned Cremonese deep inside their own half.
Napoli could have taken the lead inside the opening two minutes but were denied by a combination of poor finishing and sharp goalkeeping.
Emil Audero first produced a fine save to stop Scott McTominay, before Rasmus Højlund fired narrowly over from a promising position.
The breakthrough arrived moments later, though, as McTominay made amends with a superb long-range effort, rifling home from 20 yards to register his ninth league goal of the season.
The hosts remained firmly in control and extended their lead just before the interval. Højlund’s strike took a heavy deflection, wrong-footing Audero and rolling into the bottom corner to double Napoli’s advantage.
Cremonese’s problems deepened almost immediately, as Napoli struck again before the break. McTominay showed great athleticism to keep the ball alive, allowing Kevin De Bruyne to pounce, win possession from Youssef Maleh, and calmly finish from close range.
Any lingering hope of a comeback was extinguished early in the second half when Napoli added a fourth in style.
Alisson Santos embarked on a brilliant solo run from inside his own half after receiving the ball from goalkeeper Vanja Milinković-Savić, slicing through the defence before coolly slotting home.
With the result beyond doubt, Napoli continued to dominate proceedings. Audero was called into action again to deny substitute Billy Gilmour, while Amir Rrahmani rattled the woodwork with a header.
There was even time for a late penalty after a handball, but McTominay failed to convert, his effort lacking power and comfortably saved.
Despite that miss, the emphatic win lifts Napoli up to second in the Serie A standings, although they remain nine points adrift of leaders Inter Milan, who still have a game in hand.
For Cremonese, the defeat extends a miserable run of form. With just one win in their last 20 outings, they remain perilously close to the relegation zone, sitting just above it on head-to-head advantage over Lecce.
