Earlier on Wednesday, AC Milan got Serie A back underway as they traveled to face Salernitana in the first game of matchday 16.
The Rossoneri were really keen on a positive result after a shocking 3-0 defeat to PSV in their last game of 2022. Although that match was just a friendly, it nonetheless caused a bit of concern for Stefano Pioli's side as to whether Milan would be able to successfully turn things around and force their way back into the Scudetto race.
With Napoli sitting eight points clear thanks to their unbeaten start, the pressure was on the Rossoneri to try to close some of that gap. Fortunately for Milan fans, Pioli's men were able to do just that by earning all three points against Salernitana.
Although Milan were given a scare as their opponents managed to claw a goal back late into the game, the reigning Scudetto champions had done just enough to secure a vital 2-1 victory and reduce the gap between themselves and Napoli - for now - to just five points.
The match also saw Portuguese striker Rafael Leao achieve a unique milestone, as the 23-year-old opened proceedings with a comfortable finish. In doing so, he scored the first goal in Serie A in the new year.
Additionally, Leao seems to have a knack for scoring early goals when the new year comes around, as he has netted Milan's first goal in 2021, 2022, and now, 2023. That makes it three consecutive terms in which he's been the one to get the Rossoneri off the mark.
Milan will next be in action this weekend against Roma, but for now, they will hope that their rivals Inter will be able to prevent Napoli from re-establishing their eight point lead when those two teams go head to head later on Wednesday.
