After beating AC Milan on Monday, Napoli travelled to Parma with the chance to ramp up the pressure on leaders Inter.
However, the hosts were certainly in no mood to make life easy for the reigning Serie A champions, as they surged out of the blocks to take a surprise first-minute lead.
Nesta Elphege towered above two Napoli defenders to meet his goalkeeper’s long kick forward, nodding it on for Gabriel Strefezza to race into the box and curl a low shot in off the far post to spark early scenes of celebration from the home support.
Strefezza’s first Serie A goal proved to be the highlight of a first half that saw the visitors dominate possession but offer little in the way of clear-cut chances.
With Napoli searching for inspiration, Scott McTominay stepped up to the plate once again, pulling his side level following a slick move on the hour mark.
Stanislav Lobotka fizzed the ball into Rasmus Hojlund, who laid it off for McTominay to drill into the far bottom corner with the aid of a slight deflection.
The Scotman’s muted celebration was a clear sign that the job was not done, knowing that realistically only a win would do in their battle to retain the Scudetto.
McTominay soon threatened with an audacious overhead kick that lacked the power to beat Zion Suzuki, before lively substitute Alisson Santos drove his right-footed shot into the side-netting as Antonio Conte’s side desperately searched for a winner.
Suzuki’s strong save from Alisson in stoppage time sealed a third consecutive head-to-head draw, moving Carlos Cuesta’s charges nine points clear of danger and leaving Napoli praying for a favour from Como.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Scott McTominay (Napoli)
