Napoli unbeaten run comes to an end in a tough battle against Inter Milan

Napoli saw their unbeaten record come to an end as Filippo Inzaghi’s Inter Milan side became the first club to beat them in 21 Serie A matches, in a 3-2 dramatic defeat away from home in a title-defining clash at San Siro yesterday.

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The visitors found the opener in the 17th minute when Polish player Zieliński nicked the ball off the boot of Inter Milan's Nicolò Barella in the middle of the park, before going on to deliver a fantastic finish in a counterattack to give the visitors a one goal lead.

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Napoli's first goal against the ‘I Nerazzurri’ at the San Siro since April 2017 meant the league’s top scorers had to really breach its tightest backline to get a result in the game. Inter Milan did just that by coming from behind to take the lead in the opening 45 minutes with a 2-1 lead before halftime.

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Turkish Hakan Çalhanoğlu levelled home from the penalty spot kick in midway through the half, before Ivan Perišić find his way above the Napoli shaky defence, meeting Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s corner before delivering and nodding the hosts in front just before the break in a dramatic comeback to make it 2-1 before halftime.

The visitors who went without a win against any of last season’s top seven had to suffer a third goal, as Inter’s advantage remained fragile with Inzaghi’s side adding a third goal on the hour-mark to make it 3-1 for Inter Milan.

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This time it was the Argentine Lautaro Martínez, who swept home a swift for the host but from a deadly counterattack, ending a run of five Seria A outings without finding the net.

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However, Napoli still had to find their way back as Luciano Spalletti’s last roll of the dice was diverted to hero Dries Mertens who Looped in a 20-yard side-footed effort to beat Samir Handanović to make the scoreline 3-2. That goal however, saw the Belgian’s add to his tally of 103 Seria A goals, which then made him the Napoli’s record scorer in the Italian top-flight.

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Despite finding a way to secure a point in the game, Inter Milan's Handanović was equal to the task as the stopper save the host from a Mario Rui header in stoppage time which would have definitely secured a point for the visitors.

However, that save remains Inter are still very much in line for the Scudetto conversation. But For the visitors, they fell definitely on the wrong side of a Seria A clash for ages, as their dream of a first Scudetto title since 1989/90 season still hangs in the Milanese air after Dries Mertens failed to convert his target with his effort in the final moments of the game to draw level.