Napoli got back to winning ways in Serie A, with Stanislav Lobotka's early strike sealing a narrow 1-0 win over Sassuolo.

The midfielder, who last scored in the Italian top flight in August 2022, netted the only goal of the game after just seven minutes at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, where Antonio Conte's side moved back within six points of leaders Inter.

Lobotka broke the deadlock in sublime fashion, cushioning an 18-yard volley into the roof of the net after Sassuolo goalkeeper Arijanet Muric could only parry Eljif Elmas' initial volley.

The visitors sought a response. Armand Lauriente's low drive forced a smart save from Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, who also thwarted Aster Vrancx later in the first half.

Milinkovic-Savic came to the rescue again four minutes into the second half, pushing away Luca Lipani's low drive at full-stretch.

At the other end, Scott McTominay's ambitious long-range attempt drifted marginally wide, while Pasquale Mazzocchi's acrobatic effort was pushed away, but the single goal was enough to secure Napoli the three points.

Data Debrief: Lobotka scratches a near three-and-a-half-year itch

Lobotka was Napoli's unlikely hero, finding the net 1,251 days since his last Serie A goal, against Hellas Verona in August 2022.

The Partenopei are now unbeaten in 21 Serie A home matches, recording such a streak of over 20 games for the fifth time in their history, and first since a run of 22 without defeat between August 2015 and September 2016.

Napoli have also now won four consecutive Serie A matches against newly promoted teams in a single season for the first time since 2018-19, when Carlo Ancelotti was in charge.

As for Sassuolo, they have lost three straight top-flight games without scoring for the first time since doing so between February and March 2015.