Milan maintain five-point Serie A lead at Samp, Napoli head out third
AC Milan kept your hands on their five-point lead at the top of Serie A good on Sunday after a hard-fought 2-1 gain at Sampdoria, while Napoli moved third after strolling to triumph over bottom area Crotone.
Franck Kessie’s penalty about the stroke of half-period and Samu Castillejo’s 77th-minute strike were sufficient for the seven-time European champions to go up to 26 tips and keep second-placed native rivals Inter Milan at arm’s length.
Trainer Stefano Pioli hailed a dogged display from a good group missing injured talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic, defender Simon Kjaer and midfielder Ismael Bennacer.
“That is a team that makes the the majority of every situation, even the most negative, to show what they are able to do,” Pioli said to Sky Sport Italia.
“I keep getting surprised by the maturity of the players… They never get downhearted by bad results or let good ones go to their heads.”
Ivory Coast midfielder Kessie coolly struck house his spot-kick following Jakub Jankto unluckily handled even while challenging for the ball with Theo Hernandez.
Sandro Tonali reach the post for Milan soon after the break however the away part were on the trunk foot for much of the next half until alternative Castillejo doubled their lead with his first feel, set up by an excellent pull-again from Ante Rebic.
Rebic would then surely have removed all hesitation with 11 minutes still left had Davide Calabria not ruined a fine crew moved by duffing his pass to the ready Croatian, who's yet to rating this season.
That left Pioli’s workforce to sweat out the ultimate moments after Albin Ekdal’s powerful header simply just escaped Gianluigi Donnarumma’s clutches, and their lead near the top of the table would have been chop to three had Swede Ekdal not put another aerial work wide with the last attack of the overall game.
- Napoli cruise into third -
Napoli are six things back third, level with champions Juventus, after goals from Lorenzo Insigne, Hirving Lozano, Diego Demme and Andrea Petagna earned the away area a 4-0 win at Crotone.
Insigne opened the scoring with a good trademark curling hit after cutting found in from the still left with around 30 minutes gone, and the duty became simpler for the away side five minutes following the break when Jacopo Petriccione was first sent off for a late, high problem on Demme.
Italy overseas Insigne then laid in Lozano for the next with a outstanding long pass that still left the Mexican with a straightforward finish, and Demme made sure of the effect with a drilled low strike 14 minutes from the finish carrying out a lay-off from alternative Mertens.
Belgium forward Mertens in that case supplied the pass that allowed Petagna to hammer home the fourth in stoppage time.
Sixth-placed Roma meanwhile are actually eight points away the lead after their goalless home pull with Sassuolo as both teams had goals ruled out by VAR and the hosts played the next half with 10 men.
- Roma frustrated -
Pedro was sent off for a second bookable offence 5 minutes before the break. His trainer Paulo Fonseca used him to the stands by the end of the primary half after Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s goal was eliminated for a foul by Edin Dzeko carrying out a VAR check.
The hosts dominated after the break despite being outnumbered and were unlucky never to take the lead when Leonardo Spinazzola’s cross was guided onto the post by Sassuolo defender Gian Marco Ferrari, under great pressure from Dzeko.
Sassuolo thought they had snatched the tips with 15 minutes still left when Lukas Haraslin whipped a long-range shot past Antonio Mirante, only for the target to be eliminated for the tightest of offsides by VAR.
“I’m very proud of my crew. We played perfectly even when right down to 10. We were very well organised defensively and didn’t allow Sassuolo many opportunities,” Fonseca advised Sky Sport Italia.
Atalanta’s match in Udinese was postponed just after heavy rain made the pitch unplayable.
Fiorentina host fellow strugglers Genoa on Monday night.
