Rasmus Hojlund fired Napoli top of Serie A with both goals in Sunday’s 2-1 win over Juventus and former idol Luciano Spalletti who left empty-handed from the site of his greatest triumph.
Denmark striker Hojlund headed home the crucial goal with 12 minutes remaining at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
The 22-year-old also put Napoli ahead early on in Naples, his first club goal since netting the winner against Genoa in early October.
Napoli are one point ahead of Inter Milan after condemning Juve to a first league defeat since Spalletti took charge of the Turin giants in late October.
Juve are now eight points off the title pace after 14 matches as Spalletti, who led Napoli to a first Scudetto in over three decades in 2023, struggles to get a tune out of his new players.
Juve had looked good for a result when Kenan Yildiz coolly rolled home his sixth goal of the season after brilliantly exchanging passes with Weston McKennie.
Juve had been the better team of the second half up to that point but failed to capitalise on that moment.
And it was McKennie who handed Hojlund his big chance by limply heading a speculative cross right to the powerful centre-forward who made no mistake from close range.
Roma, defeated by Napoli last weekend, lost further ground in the title race with a painful 1-0 loss at Cagliari.
Down to 10 men for most of the second half after Zeki Celik brought down Michael Folorunsho as the Cagliari midfielder bore down on goal, Roma left Sardinia with nothing due to Gianluca Gaetano’s neat finish at a corner in the 82nd minute.
Bologna are two points behind Roma in fifth after a 1-1 draw at Rome’s other team Lazio, Jens Odgaard poking home the leveller five minute’s before the break.
Lazio’s draw means promoted Cremonese, 2-0 winners over Lecce in the day’s early fixture, will be in the top half of the table come the end of this round of fixtures.
Davide Nicola’s team prevailed thanks to Federico Bonazzoli’s penalty and a first Cremonese goal for Antonio Sanabria, both of which came in the second half.
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