Inter Milan Reach Serie A Pinnacle via Triumph over Roma as Napoli Falter
Inter Milan climbed to the summit of Serie A on goal difference this Saturday following a 1-0 victory against Roma, capitalising on Napoli's unexpected 1-0 loss to Torino.
Ange Yoan-Bonny beat Roma's offside line and slotted in the decisive strike during the sixth minute at Rome's Stadio Olimpico, propelling Inter level with Roma and title holders Napoli on 15 points.
In essence, Inter share the lead since a play-off would determine the champion if teams end the campaign tied on points.
Cristian Chivu's squad, which also struck the upright in the closing five minutes via Henrikh Mkhitaryan, have secured victories in their previous six outings across all tournaments and signalled their aim to recapture the Scudetto surrendered to Napoli in the prior term.
Post their Champions League encounter with Union Saint-Gilloise, Inter head to Napoli, who succumbed to a strike from former player Giovanni Simeone amid an injury plight, missing Rasmus Hojlund and Scott McTominay in Turin.
Nevertheless, last season's Champions League runners-up faced challenges on Sunday evening, with Roma unfortunate not to equalise around the hour mark when Zeki Celik saw a prime opportunity diverted into the side netting.
Moreover, from the ensuing corner, Artem Dovbyk nodded over while Inter's custodian Yann Sommer lay exposed.
Napoli's setback combined with Inter's success in the Italian capital affords AC Milan, sitting fourth and trailing the leaders by two points, an opportunity to usurp their city foes atop the table via a triumph against Fiorentina on Sunday.
That said, Milan grapple with their own fitness woes, as manager Massimiliano Allegri noted on Saturday that vital men Adrien Rabiot and Christian Pulisic will remain sidelined until the upcoming international window in mid-November.
Simeone Dooms Napoli
Simeone, instrumental in Napoli's 2023 Serie A conquest and their previous campaign's success, delivered the solitary goal midway through the first half in a gripping contest in Turin.
The 30-year-old, who also netted the decider in Torino's 1-0 defeat of Roma back in September, claimed his third strike of the term with finesse, seizing a lucky deflection to evade Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Napoli's keeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic before firing in.
Noa Lang believed he had rescued a draw for Napoli deep into added time, celebrating after bundling the ball over the line, only for the effort to be chalked off due to offside.
"It was a memorable evening for me, delivering three points to Torino from such a challenging fixture fills me with joy," Simeone remarked to DAZN.
"They form a formidable side and it stirred emotions for me, yet the key priority is delighting the Torino supporters by demonstrating our resolve to battle until the final whistle."
Napoli's Antonio Conte managed without prolific forward Hojlund and McTominay, both omitted from the roster owing to thigh and ankle knocks incurred during Friday's preparation session before the loss.
Each remains in question for Tuesday's matchup at PSV Eindhoven, compounding Conte's injury headaches after a string of ailments afflicting his roster this year.
"We allowed a goal that stemmed from our own error," Conte reflected.
"With fixtures every three days, time is scarce, so our focus must be on competing and refining our play with each outing."
Hojlund, boasting three goals for Napoli and one for Denmark over the weekend, joined only after Romelu Lukaku sustained a thigh issue that may bench the Belgian until the fresh year.
Alessandro Buongiorno and Matteo Politano managed bench spots at best, whereas Stanislav Lobotka and Amir Rrahmani continue their absences.