Napoli misses out on top spot after shock loss to Udinese
Napoli missed the chance to reclaim top spot in Serie A after suffering a shock 1-0 defeat at Udinese.
AC Milan's 2-2 draw with Sassuolo earlier in the day had opened the door for Antonio Conte's side to move one point clear at the summit, but Napoli turned in a below-par display at the Bluenergy Stadium, where Jurgen Ekkelenkamp's second-half goal proved enough for Udinese.
The visitor started brightly and went close in the 11th minute when Leonardo Spinazzola squared for Noa Lang, only for Nicolo Bertola to make a vital intervention and deny what looked to be a certain opener.
Udinese saw a goal ruled out after a VAR review seven minutes into the second half as Bertola's powerful drive was parried by Vanja Milinkovic-Savic into the path of Keinan Davis, who finished instinctively but from an offside position.
Jakub Piotrowski struck the crossbar just before the hour mark as Udinese grew into the game, while Nicolo Zaniolo also saw a goal disallowed after a VAR check for a foul on Stanislav Lobotka in the build-up.
Those warnings proved telling as Napoli's defence failed to deal with Ekkelenkamp's long-range effort, which took a deflection and looped over Milinkovic-Savic before dropping into the bottom-right corner.
Napoli had a late chance to salvage a point, but Rasmus Hojlund squandered a golden opportunity in the 88th minute, clipping his close-range effort over the bar.
