Napoli defeated defending champions Milan 2-1 on their third consecutive Serie A trip to the Stadio San Siro. The Rossoneri lost their composure in an exciting second half after controlling the first half of play but failing to produce anything, losing their unbeaten league start.
In a fiercely contested race for the Scudetto, Napoli sent a message by ending Milan’s domineering 22-game Serie A winning streak at home. Stefano Pioli’s team got off to a strong start, but they were unable to capitalise on their early opportunities. Within the first 15 minutes, Theo Hernandez and Olivier Giroud squandered some promising chances.
Milan completely dominated the first half, holding Napoli to just three shots on goal while making 11 of their own, three of which were on target. Even though he had no right to make those saves, the Partenopei goalkeeper Alex Meret put on a career-defining performance to deny Giroud and Rade Krunic the ball.
Meret’s outstanding first-half performance gave Napoli a significant competitive advantage going forward because he single-handedly secured a scoreless draw at the break. At halftime, Pioli tried to change things up by replacing captain Davide Calabria with Sergino Dest, a player on loan from Barcelona, but it didn’t work.
Napoli once again demonstrated they have the formula to breach this fortress after winning both of their previous league trips to San Siro. For the first time since 2013, Milan entered the game riding a streak of six straight home victories in Serie A. But the team led by Luciano Spalletti had other ideas.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was fouled by Dest in the penalty area, and Matteo Politano stepped up to convert the spot-kick to give Napoli a 1-0 lead in the 55th minute. The visitors’ advantageous position did not deter Milan from applying pressure in the attacking third, and Giroud provided the equaliser.
Prior to setting up the French goal scorer, Hernandez burst down the left flank and into the penalty area. Milan wanted more after tying the score in the 69th minute, but Napoli’s impenetrable backline thwarted all of Pioli’s team’s attempts to complete the comeback.
Milan paid the ultimate price for its overzealous pursuit of the game-winning goal instead of turning the game around. Only 12 minutes after replacing Giacomo Raspadori, Giovanni Simeone headed in Mario Rui’s inviting cross to give the visitors the lead once more and ultimately the victory.
The San Siro faithful were in despair as Milan attempted to come back, unwilling to give up. However, Pierre Kalulu’s first-time effort from point-blank range rattled off the crossbar. As a result, Napoli and Atalanta cemented their positions at the top, while the Rossoneri dropped out of the top four.
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