Napoli extend Serie A lead with dominant win over Hellas Verona

Napoli extended their lead at the top of Serie A to four points over Inter Milan with a commanding 2-0 victory against Hellas Verona at home.

The reigning champions took an early lead in the fifth minute when Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s shot hit the post, ricocheted off Hellas Verona goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipò, and found the back of the net.

Napoli sealed their fifth consecutive league win in the 61st minute, courtesy of a stunning strike from former Fulham midfielder André-Frank Zambo Anguissa.

Despite near misses from former Manchester United players Romelu Lukaku and Scott McTominay, Napoli remained unchallenged under Antonio Conte’s management. Conte, who has previously won Serie A titles with Juventus and Inter Milan, could add a third club to his domestic honours if Napoli triumph this season.

Conspicuously absent from the squad was forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who has requested to leave the club amid speculation linking him to Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, and Chelsea.

A January transfer appears likely for the 23-year-old. Bournemouth’s Philip Billing, recently signed on loan, was also unavailable.

Elsewhere, Inter Milan kept the title race alive with a narrow 1-0 win over Venezia. Former Manchester United full-back Matteo Darmian scored the decisive goal, converting a rebound to secure the victory for Simone Inzaghi’s side.

Inter bounced back impressively after their Italian Super Cup loss to AC Milan in Saudi Arabia, despite injuries to key players Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Yann Bisseck.

Inzaghi praised his team, saying: “It wasn’t easy after losing the final, but the boys were great. We came in tired and played a great game.”

Atalanta, sitting third in the league, missed an opportunity to close the gap after a goalless draw against Udinese on Saturday.