Napoli three points clear at Serie A summit after win at Lecce

Napoli held onto their position at the summit of Serie A on Tuesday following a tough 1-0 victory away to struggling Lecce, which put them three points in front of nearest challengers Roma.

Andre-Frank Anguissa nodded in the decisive goal during the 69th minute, securing Napoli's follow-up success after their heated triumph against title contenders Inter Milan just days earlier.

With 21 points from their nine league matches, Napoli lead Roma by three, as the latter face Parma on Wednesday night and sit behind on goal difference.

AC Milan trail by one more point in third place before their Tuesday evening clash with Atalanta.

"Games like this are always challenging, particularly coming after a major encounter with Inter where we used up vast reserves of physical and mental strength," remarked manager Antonio Conte.

Anguissa's fourth strike this season, building on his standout performance versus Inter, delivered Napoli a second victory in quick succession and helped stabilise matters after a difficult spell of late.

Without the exceptional efforts of towering goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, Napoli could have dropped points, with the Serbian shot-stopper diving to his right to deny Francesco Camarda's penalty 11 minutes into the second half.

In his 250th Serie A outing as manager, Conte managed without several vital squad members. Among the missing was Kevin De Bruyne, who, per team official Gabriele Oriali, faces at least three months sidelined due to a hamstring problem.

De Bruyne picked up the injury while converting Napoli's first penalty goal against Inter and represents a significant blow. Conte must also cope without Cameroon international Anguissa for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Milinkovic-Savic stepped in after regular keeper Alex Meret picked up a foot injury in training earlier this month, while Romelu Lukaku has not yet appeared in Napoli's Scudetto defence.

Two further pillars from last season's Serie A title win, Amir Rrahmani and Stanislav Lobotka, have already sat out substantial portions of the campaign.

"Remember, from the very beginning of the term, we've turned drawbacks into strengths," Conte continued.

"Numerous key figures have fallen to injuries, yet it hardly gets mentioned."

Rrahmani and Rasmus Hojlund began Tuesday's match from the substitutes' bench, a positive for Napoli ahead of demanding games against Como and Bologna, with Eintracht Frankfurt visiting in the Champions League next Tuesday.

Lecce remain in 16th spot on six points, two clear of the drop zone, following a fifth loss this term for Eusebio Di Francesco's determined side.