Two first-half goals from Scott McTominay helped Napoli to a 2-0 home win against Torino in Serie A on Sunday as the hosts reclaimed the sole lead in the standings with four games left to play.
Napoli top Serie A with 74 points, three points clear of defending champions Inter Milan, who were handed a 1-0 home defeat by AS Roma earlier on Sunday.
The win also secured Napoli a top-four finish, meaning they will make a return to the Champions League following a one-season absence.
“It’s not the first time we’re in the lead, we’ve been in the lead more than anyone else,” Napoli coach Antonio Conte said after the game. “However, there are fewer and fewer games and you can pay for any type of mistake in a big way. We are mathematically in the Champions League, a very important economic goal for the club, and you have to enjoy it at least a little.”
The 2023 champions had moved level with Inter at the Serie A summit in the previous round when they earned a 1-0 win at bottom side Monza and Simone Inzaghi’s men suffered a last-gasp loss at Bologna the following day.
Napoli raced to a seventh-minute lead through McTominay, who bundled the ball in from close range. Frank Anguissa squared it to the in-form Scotland midfielder, who found the net with a composed first touch.
The 28-year-old doubled the advantage just before halftime, striking from around the penalty spot from a neat lofted cross by Matteo Politano,making it his fifth goal in the last three appearances.
McTominay, who joined Napoli in August from Manchester United, has now scored 11 goals in his debut Serie A season.
Napoli, however, slowed down significantly ever since taking the lead and their only two attempts on goal were the ones converted by the Scot.
Torino, who sit 10th on 43 points, ended the game with no shots on target.
Napoli lost midfielder Anguissa and defender Alessandro Buongiorno to injuries around the hour mark. They were replaced by Philip Billing and Rafa MarÃn.
Billing, on loan at Napoli from Premier League side Bournemouth, hit the bar with a header shortly after coming on.
Napoli travel to relegation-threatened Lecce on Saturday before facing Genoa, Parma and Cagliari — all in the bottom half of the table — in their final rounds.
“There are four steps to go, I told the lads too,” Conte added. “We had a strange evening. I didn’t watch Inter, because I already suffer enough for our games. I didn’t intervene with the lads [either], I wanted to leave free will, knowing that we could also lose mental energy.
“Before the game I told them that nothing had changed and that we had to win, with great motivation. The lads were very good, driven by an extraordinary environment.”
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