Serie A pacesetters Napoli picked up where they left off at the weekend with a potentially season-defining 2-0 win against Milan. Antonio Conte’s side posted their fourth victory ‘to nil’ across their last five league visits to Stadio San Siro on Wednesday evening.
Romelu Lukaku got Napoli off to a flying start. The Belgian put the ball past Mike Maignan from point-blank after picking up an inch-perfect pass from Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa to open the scoring only five minutes into the game.
Despite relinquishing possession and focusing on defending their early lead, Napoli headed into the break 2-0 up. Indeed, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored his signature goal from the edge of the box on the cusp of halftime to put clear daylight between the sides.
Napoli settled for a two-goal cushion in the second half, letting Milan dominate possession without creating chances. Luckily for Conte, his defensive-minded approach didn’t backfire on the Partenopei as they extended their lead at Serie A’s table summit to seven points.
Without further ado, let’s look at our Napoli ratings.
Napoli (4-3-3)
Alex Meret – 7.5
Back from injury, the Italian goalkeeper was phenomenal tonight. Not all five saves were impressive, but it was enough for Napoli’s third consecutive league clean sheet on the road.
Mathias Olivera – 7.5
What a night for the Uruguayan left-back! He excelled against Samuel Chukwueze in defense and rarely gave the ball away when in possession.
Alessandro Buongiorno – 7.5
It’s barely surprising that Napoli spent a small fortune to lure him away from Torino, considering they signed a top-class center-back, who shined on the grand stage tonight.
Amir Rrahmani – 6.5
Though he wasn’t as impressive as Buongiorno, the Kosovo international held up his end of the deal, making numerous no-nonsense clearances to fend off Milan’s advances.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo – 7
Tonight’s game probably best depicts his return to form under Conte. After neutralizing Noah Okafor in the opening 60 minutes, he fared equally well against Rafael Leao.
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa – 7.5
Setting up Lukaku with a defense-splitting pace early on bolstered his confidence as he continued to dominate the midfield for the rest of the game.
Billy Gilmour – 6
Napoli may have lacked his attacking contribution, but his defensive commitment was commendable. But it’s worth mentioning he never gave the ball away, regardless of the pressure.
Scott McTominay – 6
More involved in the build-up than his fellow countryman, the ex-Manchester United ace delivered another sturdy performance.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – 7
All loose touches and failed dribbling attempts fell to oblivion when he doubled Napoli’s lead on the stroke of halftime. However, he was quiet for the rest of the match.
Matteo Politano – 6
It was an atypically sluggish showing from the Italian winger, who did nothing noteworthy in the final third. Perhaps it’s time for Conte to consider replacing him with David Neres.
Romelu Lukaku – 7
Apart from a well-taken goal, his intimidating physical presence in the final third was the backbone of Napoli’s clinical first-half display.
Substitutes
Pasquale Mazzocchi – 5.5
David Neres – 5.5
Giovanni Simeone – 5
Alessio Zerbin – N/A
Michael Folorunsho – N/A
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