Rome, Dec 1: Defending champion Napoli won 1-0 at rival Roma to move level with AC Milan atop the tight Serie A standings on Sunday.
David Neres scored in the first half after finishing off an exchange with Rasmus Hojlund on a counterattack.
Milan and Napoli each have 28 points and Inter Milan and Roma are one point behind with 27 each. Also, Bologna can move level with Inter and Roma with a victory over visiting Cremonese on Monday.
Milan beat Lazio 1-0 on Saturday.Napoli is aiming for its third title in four seasons and Partenopei goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic preserved the clean sheet with a one-handed save on Tommaso Baldanzi in the closing minutes.
Earlier, Lautaro Martinez scored two second-half goals and Inter won 2-0 at promoted Pisa to bounce back from consecutive losses.
Inter lost the city derby to AC Milan last weekend and then was beaten at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday. It looked even bleaker for the Nerazzurri until Lautaro struck in the 69th and 83rd minutes.
Also, Atalanta ended an eight-match winless run in the league with a 2-0 victory over Fiorentina, with goals either side of halftime from Odilon Kossounou and Ademola Lookman. Lecce beat Torino 2-1.
Napoli’s narrow win in Rome, coupled with Inter’s revival and Atalanta’s overdue return to form, underscores just how delicately poised this Serie A campaign has become. The margins are tightening, the pressure is rising, and every match now feels weighted with consequence. Milan’s resilience, Napoli’s title pedigree, Inter’s refusal to fade after a difficult week — all of it feeds into a season that is shaping into a compelling four-way contest, with Bologna threatening to join the chase as well.
As winter approaches and the fixtures pile up, the league is bracing for a stretch in which momentum may swing wildly from one weekend to the next. What remains clear, however, is that this title race is no longer defined by a single dominant force but by a cluster of contenders all capable of seizing the moment.
The coming weeks promise drama, intensity and the sort of volatility that could leave the table transformed in an instant — a fitting backdrop for a season already rich with storylines. (AP)
