Napoli took control from the start, as would be expected of the top-flight’s unbeaten leaders, but the visitors’ resolute backline ensured that dominance didn’t translate into a flurry of opportunities, with Mário Rui shooting comfortably wide, after Giacomo Raspadori’s free-kick attempt hit the wall. Victor Osimhen came close to forcing his way through with a mixture of strength and skill before the half-hour mark, but was eventually halted by Petar Stojanović.
Eager to atone for his earlier failed free-kick, Raspadori had both of the best openings as the first half came to a close. Having masterfully brought down Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s cross, he eventually fired straight at Guglielmo Vicario as Empoli defenders scrambled to put him under pressure, and then struck wide with the final kick before HT. Raspadori then turned creator early in the second period, when he squared to André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, although the Neapolitans’ wait for an opener continued as the midfielder failed to hit the target.
But Napoli’s big moment finally arrived with 20 minutes to play, when Osimhen was clumsily brought down in the box by Marin. Shortly after coming on as part of a Luciano Spalletti triple change, Lozano just about squeezed his penalty past Vicario. And the visitors’ night got worse just five minutes later, with Sebastiano Luperto receiving a second yellow card against his parent club for a foul on Lozano, having earlier received a booking for shirt pulling.
While Osimhen’s late header was desperately cleared by Vicario and Alberto Grassi, Lozano continued his assault with a pinpoint cross that found fellow substitute Piotr Zieliński, who finished clinically to wrap up Napoli’s 10th consecutive SA win and an eighth straight home victory in all competitions. As for Empoli, they suffered only a second loss in their last six away SA matches, but the nature of it only illustrated the gulf between them and those in the upper echelons.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Hirving Lozano (SSC Napoli)
