Napoli reasserted their Serie A title credentials as Antonio Conte orchestrated a 1-0 victory at Roma with a tactical masterclass.
The Serie A champions had picked up just four points from their previous three games but moved level with AC Milan at the top of the table following victory in Rome.
David Neres scored from a lightning-quick counter-attack late in the first half as the defending champions defeated a Roma side that had conceded just six goals and kept six clean sheets in their opening 12 league games.
Napoli boss Conte stuck with the 3-4-3 system he reverted to after the international break, and had his side exploit Roma’s man-marking system by playing through the press with quick transitions.
With Roma committing bodies forward in the 36th minute, Neres ran through on goal unopposed and slotted past Roma goalkeeper Mile Svilar after playing a one-two with Rasmus Hojlund and surging away from his marker.
Roma enjoyed most of the possession in a stop-start second half but Napoli continued to pose a threat on the break.
Hojlund drew a smart stop out of Svilar after running onto Neres’ pass, before substitute Matteo Politano shot straight at the goalkeeper when he had options to his right and left.
Roma’s best chance of the night came in the 90th minute, but Vanja Milinkovic-Savic denied Paulo Dybala’s low strike.
Victory sends Napoli second in the table, level on 28 points with leaders AC Milan but behind on head-to-head record.
Roma, who began the weekend top of the standings for the first time in a decade, drop to fourth place on 27 points.
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