Away from home, 10-man Napoli secured another easy 2-0 win against Empoli to advance further in the league table.
Three changes were made by Napoli from the team that defeated Sassuolo 2-0 the previous Friday. Olivera switched to Rui at left back, and Zielinski took Elmas’ place. The last adjustment was made on the wings, where Lozano replaced Politano.
Empoli made five adjustments from the starting lineup that drew Fiorentina 1-1 in their previous match. Cacace was replaced by Parisi at left-back, and Henderson and Hass took the place of suspended midfielders Filippo Bandinelli and Jean-Daniel Akpa-Akpro. Along with switching both strikers, Caputo and the injured Nicolo Cambiaghi were replaced by Piccoli and Satriano, who started the game.
On the left wing, Parisi made a lovely move to get past Lozano before collapsing under a challenge from the Mexico international. The hosts had an early free kick and were well-positioned to challenge the Napoli penalty area. Marin took the free kick but wasted the chance by shooting well over the crossbar.
As Osimhen grabbed Di Lorenzo’s threaded pass, Ismajli matched the forward stride for stride and blocked the shot, saving his goalkeeper from having to make a save.
In a beautiful one-two move down the left wing, Kvaratskhelia and Zielinski teamed up, but the Polish international’s final pass to the edge of the penalty area was poor, allowing Marin to recover possession for the hosts.
Haas was given space by Satriano, but Rui’s prompt closing down forced him to make a choice. He then took a speculative shot from a great distance that did not trouble Meret.
Lozano received a beautiful pass from Osimhen as he turned the corner, allowing Lozano to elude Parisi. After finally gaining an inch of space, the winger attempted to cross low into the area, but Empoli scrambled the ball away before Osimhen could grab it.
At 17th minute, Ismajli only managed to deflect Rui’s corner as far as Kvaratskhelia, who was standing on the far side of the penalty area. The Georgian international crossed to Zielinski from the back post, and Ismajli tipped Zielinski’s centering pass over Vicario and into his own goal giving Napoli the precious lead.
Osimhen fell to the ground in the centre circle after Luperto appeared to pull his arm, but the referee insisted on getting the player back up and allowed play to continue despite the striker’s protests.
In the corner of the penalty area, Kvaratskhelia was the target of a short-corner move that Zielinski and Rui worked on. Vicario parried the winger’s right-footed shot into the path of Osimhen, who was approaching, as the shot was curled towards the far corner. Osimhen completed a straightforward tap-in from there to double Napoli’s lead in the 28th minute.
Just outside of his penalty area, Luperto was caught in possession as Lozano applied pressure. Osimhen was able to get the ball free from the winger and advance to the penalty spot, but Vicario raced off his line and blocked the close-range shot from the Napoli striker.
The corner kick from Zielinski was drilled to Lozano on the opposite side, and the winger swiftly crossed it back to the Polish international. He tried to create a shooting space inside the 18-yard box after some juggling, but Luperto intervened to block it.
Napoli was in control of the game as halftime approached, controlling everything in front of them as they sought a third goal. First-half dominance by the visitors earned them a two-goal advantage, which they fully deserved.
Taking advantage of Rui’s error at the start of the second half, Satriano crossed the ball beautifully for Piccoli, whose shot was deflected behind for a corner by a wary Rrahmani.
Vicario was forced into a full-stretch dive to defend his post as a result of Aguissa’s low, powerful strike from 20 yards out, despite the shot narrowly missing the target.
With Di Lorenzo, Lozano, and Lobotka all passing and progressing to free Anguissa within the penalty area, Napoli executed a beautiful move just outside of the 18-yard box. Sadly for the midfielder, the last pass was a bit too far and Paris was able to regain possession.
Osimhen caught the end of a beautiful pass from Lobotka that was played over the top of the defense. Osimhen attacked the space between the two players and latched onto the pass. Osimhen managed an off-balance shot that beat Vicario and went in, but Napoli’s lead remained at 2-0 due to offside in the buildup.
Play was stopped momentarily as Caputo and Rui collided. Rui tried to cleverly kick Caputo while falling down, but instead he got a red card for his cheap foul after VAR intervened and the referee was prompted to review the footage. Napoli left with 10 men for the rest of the game.
Grassi made a careless turnover in the middle of the field, and Anguissa profited before passing the ball squarely to Elmas. The substitute attempted to score, and when he did, he made his shot the first time, earning a corner in the process.
Osimhen received a pass from Elmas that he ducked into his path, and from eight yards away, he scuffed a shot at goal. Vicario, who was off his line and falling backward, made a save with his boot studs to stop the striker.
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