Antonio Conte 's Napoli took less than twenty minutes to defeat Milan and earn three crucial points in the title race: in the late match of the 30th matchday of Serie A , the Azzurri won 2-1 at the Maradona stadium , thanks to goals from Politano and Lukaku in the first twenty minutes of play.
In the final minutes, however, Napoli suffered a comeback from the Rossoneri, who first missed a penalty with Gimenez , then reduced the deficit with Jovic in the 85th minute, almost equalizing in injury time. With this victory, Napoli climbed to 64 points , moving within three points of league leaders Inter.
AC Milan , increasingly struggling, sees their Champions League dream slipping away, remaining nine points behind fourth-place Bologna . For Sérgio Conceição 's Rossoneri , just days before the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final against Inter , the defeat represents another blow in a complicated season.
The match: Napoli dominant, Milan struggling
Conceição, faced with several absences, lines up Bondo and Fofana in midfield, with João Félix and Pulisic on the wings, and Abraham as the lone striker. Gimenez and Leão are on the bench . At the other end, Conte opts for Olivera in place of the injured Spinazzola , while Gilmour is in midfield . Up front, Neres, Lukaku, and Politano are given space.
Napoli got off to a flying start and took just two minutes to break the deadlock: Milan's defense was inattentive and Politano , after a perfect stop, fired a powerful shot past Maignan to make it 1-0. Milan struggled to react and in the 15th minute the Azzurri came close to doubling their lead with a cross from Politano that narrowly missed Lukaku.
It's just the prelude to the 2-0 , which comes in the 19th minute : Milan make a mistake coming out, Gilmour recovers and passes to Lukaku , who shoots poorly but finds the net anyway. Napoli continues to press, almost making it three with Anguissa , but Maignan prevents the worst.
Second half: Milan more aggressive, but it's too late
In the second half, Conceição brought on Leão, Chukwueze, and Gimenez . Leão created the Rossoneri's first real chance in the 56th minute, but Gimenez couldn't get to the ball. In the 69th minute , Milan had a golden opportunity to get back into the game : Billing fouled Theo Hernández , awarding a penalty after a VAR check. Gimenez, however, was hypnotized by Meret , who saved the penalty.
The mistake didn't bring down Milan, who continued to push. In the 79th minute, Pavlovic tried a powerful shot, but Meret blocked it. Then it was Reijnders ' turn , but his shot went high. The Rossoneri finally scored in the 84th minute : an exchange between Leão and Theo Hernández , a low cross for Jovic , who beat Meret from close range to make it 2-1.
The final minutes were a Rossoneri siege . Reijnders came close to equalizing in the 87th minute, while in the 94th minute , Jovic threatened Napoli again with a shot from the edge of the area that went wide. Milan's late push wasn't enough , and Napoli held firm and secured a crucial victory to stay on Inter's heels.
The match was very interesting and Napoli showed they are in good shape. Politano and Lukaku's goals were decisive, but Milan also had their chances, especially with the penalty. It's a shame they didn't score more.