Having enjoyed a high-flying start in Serie A thus far the Partenopei dropped three points for only the second time this season. It looked like another routine win was on the cards for Napoli when Lorenzo Insigne scored after just six minutes.
However, the joyous moment was short-lived as new-boy Cengiz Ünder equalized for the visitor barely 60 seconds later. A second-half brace by Edin Dzeko and a Diego Perotti strike sent a gloomy cloud over the San Paolo before the in-form Dries Mertens later crawled out of his shell to provide a flicker of light.
The Belgian slotted home Napoli’s second goal of the night and took his tally in Serie A this season to 21. With Juventus snatching a late win at Lazio and the Old Ladies having an outstanding home game against Atalanta, the Partenopei’s ambition of clinching its first league title since 1990 could easily hit a snag.
Fans at the Stadio San Paolo end the game belting out a song in support of their team. As it should be. Napoli set club record with 10 straight wins before this. Juve's absurd consistency shouldn't trick us into forgetting how improbable it is that Napoli are keeping up at all.
— Paolo Bandini (@Paolo_Bandini) March 3, 2018
As things stand, Sarri’s men have 69 points from 27 games and still lead Allegri’s Juventus with just a point.
