Milan defied every expectation to tear runaway Serie A leaders Napoli apart with an overwhelming 4-0 victory at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Sunday night. The Partenopei may be on the verge of dethroning the Rossoneri as Serie A champions, but the latter gave them a present they won’t forget in a hurry.
Napoli headed into proceedings on the back of a scintillating 4-0 romping of Torino but without standout performer Victor Osimhen, who picked up a thigh injury. However, after losing their last two home league meetings with Milan, Luciano Spalletti’s side had an added incentive to build on a 2-1 win from the reverse fixture and register another Serie A double over the Rossoneri.
With only bottom-half Lecce suffering more defeats in the last nine Serie A matches than Milan, Stefano Pioli’s future at San Siro was in the balance going into this round. After picking up just one point from their last three league outings, the reigning champions needed a standout result to boost their confidence and consolidate their position in a closely-contested top-four race.
Milan almost caught Napoli off guard only three minutes into the game. Brahim Diaz was on the receiving end of Theo Hernandez’s through ball but failed to generate enough power and placement for his first-time effort. Alex Meret had no problem dealing with the Spaniard’s attempt, as the Partenopei survived an early scare.
Only minutes after, Giovanni Simeone came close to marking his first top-flight start for Napoli with a goal. Yet, the Argentine skied his first-team shot from close range after latching onto an inviting pass from Piotr Zielinski as the home side’s first opportunity of the night went begging. However, it was an enjoyable start to the match like all the fans expected it would be.
Perhaps surprisingly, Milan were able to profit from an open-ended action. Diaz dribbled past two Napoli players and set up Rafael Leao one-on-one with Meret with a perfect, defense-splitting pass, with the Portuguese ace chipping the ball over the Partenopei goalkeeper to put the visitors in front in the 17th minute. He couldn’t have picked a better time to halt his eight-game goal drought in Serie A, setting the tone for a wonderful first half for the Rossoneri.
Diaz turned from an assist provider into a goalscorer in less than ten minutes. A sloppy reaction from Napoli’s backline allowed the diminutive forward to get on the end of Ismael Bennacer’s cross on the edge of the six-yard box and hit the roof of the net with a sublime finish in the 25th minute. And just like that, Milan doubled their lead. One would rightfully wonder – where has this team been so far in 2023?
Not only from the attacking point of view, but Milan also made light work of holding Serie A’s most prolific side at bay throughout the first half. Osimhen’s absence worked in their favor, yet it takes nothing away from the visitors’ superb first-half performance. They still did a great job frustrating the Nigerian’s partner in crime, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who spent most of the opening 45 minutes arguing with the referees.
Pioli’s side almost had a dream start to the second half as Olivier Giroud found himself in a presentable opportunity to put Milan 3-0 up but couldn’t quite hit the target from a few yards out. The Frenchman’s miss was a wake-up call for Napoli, who put their foot on the gas soon after.
Center-back sensation Kim Min-jae first put Mike Maignan to the test from an awkward angle before Mario Rui struck hard from close proximity, only for the France No1 to stop his shot with his head. Despite failing to beat the highly-rated keeper, Spalletti’s men seemed to have been growing into the contest.
When it looked like Napoli could fight back, Leao stopped them in their tracks with one of the best goals you’ll see in this Serie A round. The sought-after forward eased past his markers after receiving a through ball from Sandro Tonali before hammering a thunderous left-footed strike home to make it 3-0.
To best understand the type of night Milan had, you don’t have to look beyond Alexis Saelemaeker’s goal to put the Rossoneri 4-0 up. The Belgian came from the bench to replace Diaz in the second half and put on a show, dancing past the entire Napoli backline to open his Serie A account for the season.
If Diaz ran the show in the first half, Saelemaekers stole the spotlight after the break. After scoring his breakthrough goal, the versatile forward came close to adding another one to the tally. He sliced through Napoli’s midfield with fancy footwork before Meret pulled off a diving save to thwart his long-range screamer.
Napoli’s best chance of the game came in the 84th minute through second-half substitute Giacomo Raspadori. The Italian forward broke one-on-one with Maignan after Tiemoue Bakayoko’s poor giveaway. However, Raspadori’s wayward finishing and selfishness, as he had Khvicha all alone on the far post, denied the host a consolation goal.
Whether this was Napoli’s worst home game of the season or Milan’s best display since thumping Sassuolo 3-0 on the final weekend of 2021/22, if this fixture is anything to go by, Pioli’s men could be in for the Champions League semi-finals.