Plus seven on Inter, plus eight on Juventus. While waiting for the other matches of the midweek round, Napoli continues its march at full speed: at San Siro against Milan, Antonio Conte’s team won 2-0 and consolidated its lead in the standings. Who would have ever said it after last season, who would have ever said it on August 15th after the resounding defeat against Hellas Verona. And instead tonight the fifth success in a row arrived for Napoli thanks to the shots of their champions: first Lukaku, then Kvaratskhelia. Three points resulting from cynicism and defensive solidity, especially Milan’s errors.
Napoli have won 25 points in ten games, Milan only 14 in nine. Tonight the third defeat in the league came for Paulo Fonseca’s team, the second in the last three days. Unbalanced, moody, the Rossoneri also showed a good offensive game at times but always showed themselves vulnerable. There will then be discussion about the exclusion of Rafael Leao, the second in a row in the championship. The 10 who should make the difference seems to be a player who is increasingly separate from the Fonseca project. The Portuguese manager’s ‘they are all the same’ is not paying off. Far from it. And the result today is that of a Milan that struggles and concedes too much.
Ready to go and Napoli took the lead. After accidentally blocking a shot from Kvaratskhelia, Lukaku made amends and broke the deadlock after Anguissa’s shot in the fifth minute. Conte’s team approached the match better, immediately seemed to be on top of their game and after the 1-0 they controlled the match for another 8-10 minutes in search of a second which did not arrive.
Having started quietly, Milan took to the field only after a quarter of an hour, but when they did they insistently put their foot down on the accelerator. Between the 18th and 23rd three interesting opportunities for the home team: the most dangerous was that of Musah, a blessing and a blessing for a Milan who were dangerous in the offensive zone but also unbalanced on the opponent’s counterattacks.
Just before the half-hour, the American midfielder had a great opportunity at his disposal: Buongiorno’s unexpected error opened up the penalty area, but the former Valencia player had less than perfect control and favored the exit avalanche of a timely Meret. In the following minutes, Milan continued to grind out the game, continued to control the ball (in the 45th minute, 62% of ball possession), but never managed to make the decisive move. The result? At the end of the first half, after two rings from Di Lorenzo and Politano, Napoli found the second goal with a personal initiative from Kvicha Kvaratskhelia: starting from his plate, the Georgian champion first burned Emerson Royal, then eluded Fofana’s slight second and, finally, beat Maignan with a curling shot that the French goalkeeper could have done more with.
At the start of the second half Milan immediately found the net with a Morata header, but the offside position declared by VAR after the Spaniard’s celebration did not change the status quo of a match which saw the Rossoneri continue to control the game without ever finding the decisive play. In this sense, not even the entry after the hour of play of Rafael Leao was helpful, nor that of a feverish Pulisic. In the second half, Napoli defended with organization and clarity: they never lost track of the problem and in the end took home the three points. For Conte these are very heavy points, while new clouds are gathering over Fonseca’s head. Milan’s choice to focus on him for the post-Pioli period is less and less convincing.
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