Napoli Defeats Inter Milan to Claim Top Spot in Serie A
Scott McTominay and Kevin de Bruyne scored as defending champions Napoli triumphed over title rivals Inter Milan, securing the top position in the Serie A table.
The match, held at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, saw Napoli take the lead through De Bruyne's first-half penalty. McTominay and Frank Anguissa added further goals, marking Napoli's first victory in three matches following a league defeat to Torino and a heavy 6-2 loss to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League.
However, Napoli faced a setback with Belgian midfielder De Bruyne, who has netted four goals in eight games since departing from Manchester City, limping off the pitch shortly after his goal.
Inter Milan started strong, with captain Lautaro Martinez being denied from close range by Napoli goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic. Yet, Napoli took the lead in the 33rd minute when De Bruyne converted a penalty after Henrikh Mkhitaryan fouled Giovanni di Lorenzo in the box.
This was the last action of the match for both De Bruyne and Mkhitaryan, as Inter manager Cristian Chivu quickly substituted the former Manchester United midfielder.
In the closing moments, Inter nearly equalized when Denzel Dumfries hit the woodwork with a powerful header.
Napoli extended their lead nine minutes into the second half when Scotland international McTominay latched onto a long ball from Leonardo Spinazzola and fired a first-time shot past Yann Sommer from the edge of the box.
Hakan Calhanoglu pulled one back for Inter with a penalty awarded for a handball by Alessandro Buongiorno, but Anguissa quickly restored Napoli's two-goal advantage just seven minutes later.
This victory marked Napoli's sixth win in eight games, allowing them to overtake AC Milan at the top of the league with a one-point lead.
McTominay had previously scored in Napoli's 2-0 victory over Cagliari in their last match of the 2024-25 season, helping the club secure their fourth Serie A title, finishing just ahead of Inter.
Roma, who are set to face Sassuolo on Sunday, could match Napoli's total of 18 points with a win.