Napoli beat AC Milan to keep pace with Inter in title race

Updated: Mar 30, 2025, 05:48 pm

First-half goals from Matteo Politano and Romelu Lukaku earned Napoli a 2-1 victory over visitors AC Milan on Sunday to move within three points of Serie A leaders Inter Milan.

Napoli, who came into the contest with only one win in their last seven league matches, have 64 points, six clear of third-placed Atalanta, who lost at Fiorentina earlier on Sunday.

"It was important to win. We started strongly, in the first half we could have scored a third goal. In the second half we suffered a bit but that's to be expected," Politano told DAZN.

"We have to take it one game at a time, we believe in ourselves. We want to give these fantastic fans something to cheer about."

Politano opened the scoring 63 seconds into the match, pouncing on some sloppy Milan defending to power a long-range effort into the bottom corner, before Lukaku doubled the lead in the 19th minute with a scuffed shot following a great interception and pass by Billy Gilmour.

Napoli players celebrate after scoring a goal against AC Milan in Serie A.
Napoli players celebrate after scoring a goal against AC Milan in Serie A.
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"400 goals is a lot, today's win was very important. We prepared for the match in one way, but this morning the coach changed the plans," Lukaku said after also netting his 11th Serie A goal this season.

"We suffered a little too much in the second half but we got the win and that's good. Ours was a good response, we have to fight until the end."

Antonio Conte's side could have inflicted further damage, but Mike Maignan denied Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa's half-volley, after the midfielder had already gone close earlier with a back-heeled effort that went wide.

The visitors, who barely managed a shot on target until the second half, wasted a golden chance to pull one back in the 69th minute when Santiago Gimenez's poor penalty was saved by Alex Meret after Philip Billing had been penalised for a foul on Theo Hernandez.

Luka Jovic put Milan on the scoresheet six minutes from time but the defeat left them ninth with 47 points, as pressure mounts on coach Sergio Conceicao amid a poor run of results that has left them nine points off the Champions League qualification spots.