Napoli bounced back from consecutive defeats in emphatic fashion, reclaiming top spot in Serie A with a commanding 3-1 victory over title rivals Inter Milan at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
Kevin De Bruyne’s first-half penalty put the hosts in front before Scott McTominay doubled their lead shortly after the restart with a superb strike.
Although Hakan Calhanoglu pulled one back from the spot for Inter, Frank Anguissa sealed the win with a thunderous finish to cap a statement performance.
Antonio Conte’s men entered the clash under pressure after a shock 1-0 loss to Torino and a 6-2 midweek humbling by PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League, but Napoli delivered a powerful response.
Inter started brighter, threatening through Alessandro Bastoni, Calhanoglu, and Lautaro Martínez, whose low effort was saved smartly by Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.
Nicolò Barella then went close before Napoli struck against the run of play.
In the 33rd minute, Giovanni Di Lorenzo was tripped by Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and De Bruyne coolly converted from the spot for his fourth league goal of the campaign.
The Belgian, however, limped off soon after with an apparent injury, while Mkhitaryan was also forced off, replaced by Piotr Zielinski.
Bastoni’s header hit the crossbar, and Inter twice struck the woodwork before halftime as Milinkovic-Savic kept Napoli in front with key saves from Calhanoglu and Denzel Dumfries.
Napoli punished Inter’s wastefulness early in the second half when McTominay latched onto Leonardo Spinazzola’s long ball and smashed home a stunning half-volley to make it 2-0.
Inter were handed a lifeline just before the hour mark after VAR penalized Alessandro Buongiorno for handball, with Calhanoglu converting from 12 yards to reduce the deficit.
But any hopes of a comeback were dashed seven minutes later when Anguissa powered through midfield and rifled an unstoppable shot into the top corner to restore Napoli’s two-goal cushion.
Despite late pressure from the visitors, including close efforts from Martínez and substitute Luis Henrique, Napoli held firm to record their sixth league win of the season and a crucial boost in their title push.
