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NAPOLI OUTCLASS INTER 3-1 TO REIGNITE SCUDETTO AMBITIONS

Napoli beat Inter Milan 3-1 to go top of Serie A, with Scott McTominay & Frank Anguissa scoring after a Kevin De Bruyne penalty. The Belgian went off injured as the champions ended a poor run in style.

Napoli Outclass Inter 3-1 to Reignite Scudetto Ambitions
Napoli's Kevin De Bruyne, left, leaves the pitch injured during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Inter Milan, in Naples, Italy, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)

Defending champions Napoli defeated title rivals Inter Milan and took the lead in Serie A thanks to goals from Scott McTominay and Kevin de Bruyne.

De Bruyne's first-half penalty gave the home team the lead at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, but goals from McTominay and Frank Anguissa gave Napoli their first victory in three games following a league loss to Torino and a 6-2 Champions League thumping by PSV Eindhoven in the middle of the week.

However, De Bruyne, a Belgian midfielder who has four goals in eight games since leaving Manchester City, hobbled off the field shortly after scoring, which was a blow to Antonio Conte's team.

Napoli custodian Vanja Milinkovic-Savic denied Inter's skipper Lautaro Martinez from close range, giving Inter the stronger start.

But after Henrikh Mkhitaryan fouled Giovanni di Lorenzo inside the area in the 33rd minute, De Bruyne's penalty gave Napoli the lead.

Both De Bruyne and Mkhitaryan's involvement of the game came to an end as Inter boss Cristian Chivu quickly substituted the former Manchester United midfielder.

Denzel Dumfries' stunning header against the post in the closing seconds nearly gave Inter an equalizer.

Nine minutes after the break, however, Scotland international McTominay sprinted on to a long ball from Leonardo Spinazzola and sent a first-time shot past Yann Sommer from the edge of the box to give Napoli a two-goal lead.

After a handball from Alessandro Buongiorno, Hakan Calhanoglu gave the visitors a penalty to cut the deficit, but Anguissa restored Napoli's two-goal lead in just seven minutes.

With their sixth victory in eight games, Napoli overtook AC Milan as the league's top team, now leading by one point.

In their final match of the 2024–25 season, Napoli defeated Cagliari 2-0 thanks to a goal by McTominay. The victory helped the team win their fourth Serie A title, defeating Inter, who ended one point behind.

With a victory, Roma, who play Sassuolo on Sunday, could tie Napoli for 18 points.

TIRED OR TOUGH? THE CONFLICTING ITALIAN MEDIA REPORTS ON SCOTT MCTOMINAY’S PERFORMANCE

Scott McTominay and Napoli suffer Champions League elimination after a 3-2 home defeat to Chelsea's clinical Joao Pedro.

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Napoli and McTominay crashed out against Chelsea

Scott McTominay had a rough night as Napoli crashed out of the Champions League on Wednesday. The reigning Serie A champs missed out on a play-off spot after losing at home to Chelsea.

It was a wild night in the Champions League, and Napoli ended up as one of the biggest letdowns. Even with home advantage against Liam Rosenior's team, they only managed to finish 30th overall. Chelsea, on the other hand, walked away with sixth.

McTominay, along with Manchester United loanee Rasmus Hojlund, couldn’t stop Napoli from falling 3-2 in Naples. Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez opened the scoring, but Napoli hit back before halftime thanks to Antonio Vergara and Hojlund.

But after the break, Joao Pedro bagged a brace and sealed Napoli’s fate. The Italian press didn’t hold back in their reviews of McTominay’s performance.

Il Napolista gave McTominay a 6 out of 10. They liked his grit but pointed out he lost possession a few too many times in midfield. Still, they said he was a threat going forward—enough to give Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez something to worry about. But in the end, it just wasn’t enough for Conte’s side.

Il Messaggero also gave him a 6. They called his first half “average”, even though the game was played at a high level. After halftime, they thought he looked tired and didn’t live up to his usual standards.

Corriere dello Sport was a bit more generous with a 6.5. They praised his fighting spirit—classic Premier League style—and said he gave it everything he had. But as Serie A’s current MVP, expectations are high, and he just couldn’t find the goals Napoli needed.

Essere Partnopei matched that 6.5 rating. They praised his energy and said he was as active as ever, moving the ball well. Still, his efforts couldn’t keep Napoli from being knocked out.

Napoli Magazine skipped the ratings but said McTominay wasn’t at his best. He’s a key player for Conte and stayed committed, but it wasn’t enough to push Napoli into the next round.

"DON'T JUMP SHIP!" — ANTONIO CONTE’S EXPLOSIVE WARNING TO NAPOLI STARS AFTER JUVENTUS ROUT

Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund fail to fire as Juventus crush Napoli 3-0. Discover Conte’s defiant post-match reaction.

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Napoli slip to fourth as title rivals capitalise on defeat

Napoli just fell nine points behind in the Serie A title chase after Scott McTominay and the rest of the squad took a heavy 3-0 loss against Juventus.

The defending champs barely put up a fight at the Allianz Stadium in Turin. Juventus looked sharp, closing the gap with Napoli to just a single point. Right now, Gli Azzurri sit fourth with 43 points, Juventus are right behind on 42, and Inter still lead the pack with 52. If Antonio Conte’s side wants to catch up, they’ve got a lot of work to do.

McTominay played the whole match for Napoli but couldn’t change the game. Frustration was obvious for the visitors. Rasmus Hojlund, on loan from Manchester United, struggled again and didn’t make much of a difference up front. While his parent club edged out Arsenal 3-2 in London, Hojlund missed two decent chances in Turin. He hasn’t scored for Napoli since late December.

Romelu Lukaku finally got back on the pitch after his injury, but with just 12 minutes left, the result was already settled. Juventus were two goals up—Jonathan David bagged the first, Kenan Yildiz added another, and Filip Kostic finished things off near the end with a third.

Napoli are still missing another Scot, Billy Gilmour, and creative midfielder Kevin De Bruyne is out hurt as well. Next up, Chelsea comes to Naples on Wednesday night. Napoli really needs a win to stay in the hunt for a Champions League play-off spot.

Conte faced up to the defeat but made it clear Napoli aren’t about to give up on the Scudetto—even with all these injuries.

Conte didn’t sugarcoat things:

“As long as it was 1-0, it felt close—like we might grab a draw,” he said. “But after their second goal, things opened up, and then they scored a third. Credit to them, but also to my guys. There’s not much to say or criticise. Even here in Turin, they gave everything.

“Sometimes you get past these obstacles, sometimes you don’t. For the first time in my career, I had to bring on a player [Giovane]. I’d never even seen him in training—a kid who just joined us Saturday. That tells you something about what we’re dealing with right now.

“But we’re not quitting. We know the situation, and we’ll keep pushing. It feels like we’re out at sea in a storm, but we’re not bailing. If someone wants to jump ship, fine—they can swim to shore. The rest of us are staying on board, ready to fight with everything we’ve got, whatever comes our way.”

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