Italian Serie A leaders SSC Napoli suffered their first home defeat of the season at the hands of third-placed Lazio. The win didn’t change Napoli’s position on the table but it reduced the gap between them and second-placed Inter Milan to 15 points. The latter beat fifteen-placed Lecce 2-0 go back into second after momentarily losing it to Lazio.
Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma beat struggling Juventus FC 1-0 to go fourth and keep their Champions League hopes alive thanks to Gianluca Mancini’s long-range strike in the 53rd minute.
This is the first time AS Roma have remained undefeated against Juventus in a Serie A season since the 2003/4 season. The match saw Juventus striker Moise Kean sent off after kicking the goal scorer Mancini in the final minute of the match, to sum up how frustrated the whole Juventus team has been all season.
AC Milan’s journey to Florence to play Fiorentina wasn’t fruitful at all, as the Rossoneri were beaten 2-1 to put a dent into their Champions League hopes for next season.
Apart from Napoli who are firmly in the lead, the remaining three spots for Champions League football are still open but competition is tight, as there are only three points between Inter Milan in second and AC Milan in fifth. None of the four teams fighting from the remaining three spots would like to drop points.
On the bottom end of the Serie A table, Sampdoria, Cremonese, and Verona occupy the 20th, 19th, and 18th positions respectively. Cremonese are playing Sassuolo tonight but not even a win will change their position.
Here are the weekend’s results
Spezia 0-0 Verona
Sampdoria 0-0 Salernitana
Inter Milan 2-0 Lecce
Roma 1-0 Juventus
Monza 2-1 Empoli
Atalanta 0-0 Udinese
Fiorentina 2-1 AC Milan
Napoli 0-1 Lazio.
