Atalanta vs Napoli Review
Napoli achieved their sixth straight Serie A win by defeating Scudetto contender Atalanta 3-2 at the Gewiss Stadium, extending their lead over La Dea to seven points. Atalanta had recently experienced a dip in form, resulting in three consecutive draws that dropped them to third place after being at the top during Christmas. The match against Napoli presented them with a chance to narrow the gap with the league leaders. They seemed poised to do so when the league’s top scorer, Mateo Retegui, scored his 14th goal of the season with a spectacular shot into the top corner from a difficult angle.
In response, David Neres had a shot that was saved before the visitors equalized just before the half-hour mark. From a similar spot, Mateo Politano struck fiercely past Marco Carnesecchi, leaving the goalkeeper helpless. With the momentum shifted in their favor, Antonio Conte’s team quickly took the lead again with a precise finish from Scott McTominay, who side-footed André-Frank Zambo Anguissa’s cutback into the top corner from just inside the box.
The second half began quietly until Atalanta’s star player Lookman created a moment of brilliance. Although Politano seemed to have cleared the danger, the Nigerian international managed to find the corner of the net to level the score again. Atalanta then came close to taking the lead, but a fingertip save from Alex Meret denied Charles de Ketelaere’s header from going into the bottom corner.
Atalanta appeared more likely to score the next goal, but it was Romelu Lukaku, who had been relatively quiet, who headed Anguissa’s precise cross into the corner to score. In typical Conte style, his team expertly managed the time to secure a victory and extend their lead to six points at the top of the table. Although Inter Milan has two games in hand to close the gap, their recent 2-2 draw with Bologna indicates that earning six points from those matches is not assured. On the other hand, Atalanta now trails the Partenopei by seven points and must end their current five-game winless streak soon if they hope to remain in the race for their first Serie A title.