Napoli breathed recent life into their Serie A title hopes on Sunday with a 2-1 victory over Fiorentina that ended a five-match winless run, whereas Atalanta routed Juventus 4-0 to remain within the hunt.
Romelu Lukaku gave Napoli the lead on 26 minutes and Giacomo Raspadori doubled that on the hour earlier than Albert Gudmundsson pulled a objective again for Fiorentina.
Antonio Conte’s Napoli climbed again to inside some extent of leaders Inter Milan, who got here from two objectives right down to beat backside facet Monza 3-2 on Saturday.
“We deserved the victory,” mentioned Conte.
“We may have been a bit extra environment friendly with our possibilities and managed the ultimate a part of the sport with much less nervousness as a result of let’s not overlook that we dropped many factors across the ninetieth minute within the final 5 video games.”
Napoli, who received the title two years in the past, had been prime on the finish of January however have been enjoying catch-up with Inter after selecting up simply 4 factors in 5 matches earlier than beating Fiorentina on the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Atalanta hammered Juventus 4-0 in Turin to remain inside three factors of Inter and snap the hosts’ five-game profitable streak. It was only a second defeat of the season for Thiago Motta’s facet.
Mateo Retegui notched his league-leading twenty second objective of the season from the penalty spot after a handball within the first half and Marten de Roon added a second proper after the break for Atalanta.
Davide Zappacosta steered in a 3rd for Gian Piero Gasperini’s rampant facet earlier than Ademola Lookman’s deflected strike accomplished a thumping victory.
“It was an unimaginable end result for a lot of, but it surely was the right efficiency from us,” Gasperini instructed DAZN, suggesting an unlikely tilt on the Scudetto for the historically small, provincial membership was not past them.
“Individuals must dream. We mustn’t ever cease them dreaming. We might say it is inconceivable, however in the event you consider sufficient, issues can change into potential.”
Fourth-placed Juventus are actually 9 factors adrift of Inter and could possibly be overtaken by Lazio, who host Udinese on Monday.
Motta mentioned the defeat signalled the top of any outdoors title possibilities for his workforce.
“We’re unhappy, we’re dissatisfied, however on the similar time this speak of the Scudetto that you simply dragged us into will now not be talked about,” he mentioned.
Roma continued their resurgence beneath Claudio Ranieri as Matias Soule’s objective after solely 22 seconds was sufficient to safe a 1-0 win at Empoli for his or her fifth successive league victory.
The 73-year-old Ranieri has introduced stability to a membership that sacked Daniele De Rossi in September after which moved on from his successor Ivan Juric lower than two months later.
Roma are unbeaten in 12 video games in Serie A since mid-December, rising from simply above the relegation locations into competition for Europe subsequent season.
They’re 4 factors behind Bologna in sixth, which affords a spot within the UEFA Convention League.
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