Defending Serie A champions Napoli tightened their grip at the top of the table on Tuesday after securing a narrow 1-0 victory over Lecce, moving three points clear of AC Milan and AS Roma.
Midfielder André-Frank Zambo Anguissa was the hero once again, heading home the decisive goal in the 69th minute to hand Antonio Conte’s side a crucial win just days after their fiery triumph over Inter Milan.
With the victory, Napoli now sit on 21 points from nine matches, three ahead of Roma and Milan who were both held to 1-1 draws in their respective fixtures. Roma host Parma on Wednesday evening, while Milan shared the spoils with Atalanta in Bergamo.
“These matches are never easy, especially after a high-intensity clash like the one against Inter,” Conte said after the match. “The players showed great focus and resilience to get this result.”
Anguissa Shines as Napoli Battle Through Injuries
Anguissa’s header his fourth goal of the season capped another strong performance for the Cameroonian international, whose recent form has been pivotal in Napoli’s title defense.
However, the champions had goalkeeper Vanja Milinković-Savić to thank for preserving the win, as he produced a stunning penalty save to deny Francesco Camarda early in the second half.
Conte continues to grapple with a growing injury list. Kevin De Bruyne is set to miss at least three months after suffering a hamstring injury during the Inter match, while several other key players including Amir Rrahmani and Stanislav Lobotka have already missed significant portions of the season.
“Since the start of the campaign, we’ve had to make a virtue out of necessity,” Conte noted. “We’ve lost many important players, but this team continues to fight.”
Napoli face a challenging schedule in the coming weeks, with Serie A clashes against Como and Bologna, and a Champions League showdown with Eintracht Frankfurt next Tuesday.
Lecce Struggle as Milan, Atalanta Share Spoils
For Lecce, the defeat marks their fifth loss of the season, leaving them 16th in the standings with six points just two above the relegation zone.
Meanwhile, in Bergamo, Atalanta maintained their unbeaten record but had to settle for a 1-1 draw with AC Milan. Ademola Lookman, recently reintegrated into the squad after a stalled transfer attempt, scored his first goal of the season to cancel out Samuele Ricci’s early strike.
Milan remain third with 18 points, level with Roma, but have now drawn three of their last four league matches. Goalkeeper Mike Maignan once again proved vital, pulling off a brilliant late save to deny Davide Zappacosta.
Atalanta, though unbeaten, have now drawn five straight matches, sitting eighth eight points adrift of leaders Napoli.
