League Leaders Napoli defeated second-placed Juventus 5-1 on Friday January 13, giving them a 10 point lead at the top of the standings.
With 47 points from 18 games, Napoli moved 10 points ahead at the top of the standings. Despite falling to third, Juventus and AC Milan, who are in second place and have a game in hand, are on 37 points.
After the game, Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti stated:
“It was a beautiful evening, especially because there was a great crowd. The Neapolitans are always behind us but this team was able to recreate love for these colours.”
In the 14th minute, Napoli scored after winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s close-range bicycle kick was saved by Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny but Victor Osimhen’s subsequent header was denied.
After that, Juventus had a good chance to get one back, but Angel Di Maria’s stunning individual effort from outside the box went over the crossbar.
Five minutes later, Juve striker Arkadiusz Milik attempted to head past Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret with a header, but his shot was insufficient to beat them.
After that, Victor Osimhen set up Kvaratskhelia for Napoli’s second goal in the 39th minute, sending a precise cross into an unoccupied space for the Georgian to finish and double their lead. This season, Osimhen has scored a league-leading 12 goals in Serie A.
Three minutes later, Di Maria made it 2-1 with a low shot into the left corner, leaving Meret helpless between the posts, bringing Juventus back into the game.
Ten minutes into the second half, Napoli’s defenseman Amir Rrahmani converted a corner kick into a powerful first-touch goal to restore their two-goal advantage.
Minutes later, Osimhen had a chance to make it 4-1 from close range, but his shot went just over the bar.
However, the striker was able to score again in the 65th minute with his 12th goal of the season in Serie A and his second header of the evening.
In the 72nd minute, substitute Eljif Elmas gave Napoli the victory.
“This was a deserved defeat, because we went into the game with less energy. The situations we conceded were also fairly easy to read and predict, but sometimes luck is on your side and sometimes it isn’t. We tried to turn it around towards half-time, but Napoli fully deserved [to win].”
This was Allegri’s 450th game as a manager in Serie A.
Five goals were scored by Juventus for the first time in almost two decades in a Serie A game. Pescara’s May 1993 5-1 defeat was the last time they were beaten like that.
Napoli, who are vying for their first Serie A title since 1990, have not lost to Juventus in their last three league games.
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