Napoli’s faint hopes of retaining the Serie A crown suffered a major blow after a disappointing 2-0 home defeat to Lazio, leaving them 12 points behind leaders Inter Milan with just five matches remaining.
Inter had earlier strengthened their grip at the top with a 3-0 victory over Cagliari, moving to 78 points, while Napoli remain on 66.
AC Milan sit three points further back ahead of their clash with Hellas Verona, while Lazio’s win lifts them to ninth on 47 points.
The visitors made a perfect start at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, going ahead inside six minutes when Matteo Cancellieri turned home from close range after neat work down the flank.
Lazio had the chance to double their lead soon after, but Mattia Zaccagni saw his penalty saved by Vanja Milinković-Savić, before blazing the rebound over the bar.
Napoli struggled to respond despite enjoying spells of possession, failing to carve out clear openings.
Their frustration grew when Stanislav Lobotka conceded the penalty following a foul on Tijjani Noslin, though Lazio could not capitalise immediately.
The hosts were fortunate not to fall further behind before the break, with Milinković-Savić making key stops to keep them within reach.
However, Lazio put the game beyond doubt early in the second half. A surging run down the left by Nuno Tavares created chaos in the box, and although Cancellieri missed a simple chance, Toma Bašić was on hand to calmly slot home the rebound.
Napoli offered little in response, with substitute Alisson Santos coming closest when he struck the post.
Alarmingly, the defending champions failed to register a single shot on target in a flat display that drew boos from the home crowd.
Under former Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri, Lazio controlled proceedings with ease and extended their winning run at the venue to four consecutive seasons.
What once looked like a thrilling title race has faded rapidly. While Inter continue to surge ahead, Napoli, once firmly in contention, now appear to have run out of momentum as the Scudetto slips beyond their grasp.
