David Neres downs Roma to send Napoli level with AC Milan atop Serie A

Updated: Nov 30, 2025, 05:14 pm

Napoli moved level with AC Milan at the top of Serie A after David Neres' first-half strike proved enough to sink title rivals Roma at the Stadio Olimpico.

Neres started and finished a 36th-minute counter-attack to grab the only goal of the game as Roma's run of four straight wins in all competitions came to a disappointing end.

But the visitors had goalkeeper Vanja Milinokovic-Savic to thank for preserving the three points after his brilliant reaction save in stoppage time denied Tommaso Baldanzi an equaliser.

Napoli had been the better team from the star in foggy conditions and Roma keeper Mile Svilar had to make a brave decision to dart from his box and block a chance for Noa Lang inside the first 10 minutes.

Napoli's David Neres scored the game's only goal.

The visitors continued to press and they came close to an opener on 18 minutes when Giovanni Di Lorenzo met a cross from Neres at the far post but failed to squeeze it home from a tight angle.

Svilar was called into action again to push a cross from Lang over the bar before the home side belatedly stirred and fashioned their first chance on the half-hour mark when Evan Ferguson headed just over the bar.

Just as Roma looked to be getting a foothold, Napoli pounced in the 36th minute as Neres started and finished a swift counter-attack, racing onto Rasmus Hojlund's through ball to slot home.

Matìas Soulè curled a shot high and wide of target as Roma looked to respond before half-time, but they had Svilar to thank within five minutes of the restart as the keeper punched away decisively under pressure from Scott McTominay.

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Hojlund was denied from a tight angle by Svilar on the hour mark, and Matteo Politano drove an effort from distance as Napoli continued to look the most likely to add to their tally.

As frustration began to grow among the home fans their best second-half chance looked set to be a relatively harmless long-range effort from Lorenzo Pellegrini until they almost snatched a leveller as the minutes ticked down.

Paulo Dybala played in Baldanzi, whose shot was superbly saved by an alert Milinokovic-Savic to confirm the three points for the visitors.