Napoli were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw away at Parma, a result that could prove costly in their Serie A title push.
Antonio Conte’s side now have to rely on Como getting a result against leaders Inter on Sunday evening, or risk seeing the defending champions fall further behind in the race.
Parma made a blistering start, taking the lead inside two minutes. Gabriel Strefezza latched onto a long ball from the goalkeeper, Nesta Elphege flicked it on, and the Brazilian-Italian forward calmly finished one-on-one to silence the visitors.
Napoli responded with sustained pressure but struggled to find the final touch in the opening half, despite testing goalkeeper Zion Suzuki on five occasions without success.
After the break, the visitors continued to dominate possession while Parma stayed compact and dangerous on the counter. Matteo Politano came close early in the second half, but his effort cleared the bar.
The breakthrough eventually arrived for Napoli when Rasmus Højlund set up Scott McTominay, who finished neatly with a side-footed strike to level the score and highlight his growing influence.
McTominay nearly grabbed a second late on with an acrobatic effort that Suzuki expertly kept out.
Parma, however, remained a threat on the break. Mandela Keita came close amid appeals for a handball against Alessandro Buongiorno, but the referee allowed play to continue, much to the hosts’ frustration.
Eljif Elmas later squandered a golden opportunity to put Napoli ahead, heading wide from close range, while Suzuki continued to frustrate Conte’s side with a string of crucial saves.
Despite sustained pressure in the closing stages, Napoli could not find a winner, leaving Inter with the chance to extend their lead at the top of the table with a victory over Como.
