Inter hosted Napoli in a midweek fixture that was eagerly anticipated. Unfortunately for Calcio fans, the action didn’t live up to the expectations, as Romelu Lukaku’s spot-kick was the only goal witnessed at the Guiseppe Meazza Stadium. Here are our player ratings for the top clash between Inter and Napoli, which ended in a 1-0 victory for the Nerazzurri.
Inter XI
Samir Handanović – 7
The Inter captain enjoyed a quiet first half, but was then called for duty during the second, as he had to save a flurry of Napoli chances on the likes of Insigne, Politano and Di Lorenzo.
Milan Škriniar – 6
The Slovakian defender has earned back his place in the starting lineup but he’s still far from his best form. Committed too my many rash fouls and was lucky not to receive a second yellow card.
Stefan De Vrij – 6
The Dutch defender enjoyed a mostly solid performance, but he could have been punished for allowing Lozano and Petagna to break through on two occasions.
Alessandro Bastoni – 6.5
The young Inter defender was able to deny the Napoli strikers on multiple occasions in yet another solid performance.
Matteo Darmian – 7.5
The former Manchester United man was introduced to help the Nerazzurri defenders in containing Insigne, and he was able to pass the test while also making several key interceptions. Crowned his remarkable performance by earning the penalty-kick that sealed the win for his team.
Nicolò Barella – 6.5
The Italian international was full of energy and desire as usual, as he looked like one of the few Inter players who are able to break through the Napoli lines.
Marcelo Brozović – 6
The big Croatian is a wonderful distributor of the ball, but he should count himself lucky for not conceding a red card for his numerous reckless challenges on the Partenopei players. Eventually left the pitch with a knock.
Roberto Gagliardini – 6
The former Atalanta man is definitely a hard worker in midfield, but his humble technical skills never caused trouble for Napoli.
Ashley Young – 6
The Englishman is usually a major threat for opposition defences with his runs and crosses from the left, but tonight he had a much more conservative approach to the match.
Romelu Lukaku – 6.5
The Belgian giant eventually scored the spot-kick which was the difference between the two sides and kept his scoring run going, however, it was far from his best performance, as he was barely allowed a sniff at goal by Koulibaly and Manolas.
Lautaro Martinez – 6
The Argentine striker wasted his side’s only major chance in the first half, when his low drive went just a little wide of target. Similarly to Lukaku, he wasn’t allowed too much room to breathe.
Inter Substitutes
Stefano Sensi – N/A
Ashraf Hakimi – N/A
Danilo D’Ambrosio –N/A
Napoli XI
David Ospina – 5.5
The veteran goalkeeper was barely tested all night, but eventually caused the penalty-kick when he caught the leg of Darmian while diving down to cut the ball.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo – 6.5
A good performance by the right-back who helped his side defensively while also contributing to the team’s attacks. Almost scored a goal in the dying minutes but was denied by Handanovic.
Kostas Manolas – 6.5
The former Roma man is enjoying a much better season season at Napoli in comparison to his first, and tonight he was able to keep the Inter forwards in check for most of the match.
Kalidou Koulibaly – 6.5
The Senegalese is one of the few defenders in Italy who are able to match the physicality of Lukaku. He was one the best performers ot the night, but he could have done better to help his side avoiding the spot-kick.
Mário Rui – 6
The Portuguese left-back put on a hard-working shift as ever, however, he lacked the quality to deliver the killer-cross on the overlaps.
Diego Deme – 6.5
The German midfielder is one of the most underrated players at Napoli, and he helped his side in controlling possession for most of the second half while the Inter players were pegged back to their own area.
Tiémoué Bakayoko – 5.5
The former Monaco man still needs to improve in order to regain his Milan form. Played in such a deep position which meant that he was barely able to connect with the Partenopei forwards
Hirving Lozano – 6.5
The Mexican international was able to cause havoc inside the Inter areas with some of his dangerous runs, but unfortunately for Napoli, the end product wasn’t there.
Piotr Zieliński – 6.5
The former Udinese midfielder had the best chance for the visitors during the first half, when his volley almost found its way to the back of the net. Did well in his personal battle with Brozovic.
Lorenzo Insigne – 5
The Partenopei captain wasted a golden opportunity for Napoli to open the scoring, and then received his marching orders for apparently insulting the referee after his decision to reward Inter a penalty-kick. A night to forget for the small winger.
Dries Mertens – N/A
Ciro only lasted for 15 mins before being taken off with an ankle injury.
Napoli Substitutes
Andrea Petagna – 6.5
The big striker was able to brilliantly set up Zieliński’s opportunity in the first half, and almost grabbed a last minute equalizer, but was unluckily denied by the post.
Fabián Ruiz – 6
Despite his side playing with 10-men, he helped Napoli in dominating Inter in the midfield battle during the final minutes.
Matteo Politano – 6.5
The winger had a point to prove against his former coach Antonio Conte, and brought so much energy to his team after his introduction. Almost scored immediately but was denied by Handanovic.
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