Napoli 2-1 Fiorentina: Partenopei back on track with victory

Romelu Lukaku and Giacomo Raspadori returned Napoli to winning ways as the battle for the Italian Serie A title continues to hot up after a 2-1 win against Fiorentina.

The win by Antonio Conte has kept the Scudetto race wide open, which has now kept up the pressure on leaders Inter Milan.

The defeat for Viola is the fourth in their last five competitive matches, including 3-2 in the Conference League to Panathinaikos, with the second leg coming up next Thursday. 

Raspadori had the chance to open the scoring after 10 minutes, scuffing the finish from 10 yards straight at David De Gea from a Giovanni Di Lorenzo roll across.

The referee waved away the penalty appeal of Romelu Lukaku when he went down in a tussle with Pietro Comuzzo from six yards.

Napoli eventually took the lead when Scott McTominay cut inside, and his shot from the edge of the area as his shot was parried by De Gea into the path of Lukaku, who scored his 10th Serie A goal of the season, his first since January 25.

Raspadori forced De Gea into another safe after holding off Comuzzo to get the shot away from the by-line.

Fiorentina’s Moise Kean nodded over from six yards on Fagioli’s assist from a corner routine while Di Lorenzo was close to doubling Napoli’s lead on 34 minutes as his scorcher thumped the top of the crossbar.

De Gea kept the scoreline down again with his feet to deny Leonardo Spinazzola’s angled drive, then palmed a Raspadori effort around the near post.

Fagioli’s penalty appeal was turned down as the Gilmour foul was visibly outside the area.

Napoli then made it two with a well-worked passing move, which began from Raspadori from midfield. The Italian striker ran onto the Lukaku through ball to take a touch and sweep past De Gea relatively undisturbed.

Fiorentina reduced the deficit when Kean’s inspired back-heel flick cleared a path for Gudmundsson to burst into the box through the centre and sweep right-footed into the near bottom corner.

Gudmundsson risked a second yellow card for his collision with Raspadori, but both were at full stretch on a loose ball, and the referee judged a free kick to be sufficient.

Giovanni Simeone had a chance to make it three against his former club in stoppages when running from his half, but his finish was weak straight at De Gea.