Napoli returns to the top with a statement win
Napoli leapfrogged Atalanta to take the lead on the Serie A table after a statement 3-0 win over Fiorentina.
With La Dea not in action this weekend because of its Italian Supercoppa commitments, Antonio Conte's side took full advantage, with David Neres, Romelu Lukaku and Scott McTominay on target at Stadio Artemio Franchi.
The Partenopei broke through just before the half-hour mark, as Neres linked up with Lukaku and skipped around three challenges before firing past David de Gea.
Moise Kean saw an equaliser ruled out for a foul in the build-up, before Napoli doubled its lead within nine minutes of the restart.
Matias Moreno brought down Frank Anguissa in the box, and Lukaku calmly sent De Gea the wrong way from 12 yards.
Another defensive error allowed the visitors in for a third goal, with Pietro Comuzzo's poor clearance from Anguissa's cross falling to McTominay, who sealed a fourth straight win for his side.
Napoli assistant head coach Cristian Stellini, who attended the post-match press conference in place of Conte, explained why the win was vital, given Napoli was without Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Matteo Politano and Alessandro Buongiorno because of injuries.
"It is fair to call it very important, for various reasons," he said. "The first is that we were on a difficult pitch against a strong team with a very large squad.
"And then the second is that we had some absentees and wanted to show the importance of our work and how much the guys follow us. That is even more important."
Those injuries gave Leonardo Spinazzola a rare start this season, a player linked with a move away from Napoli in the January transfer window.
"We have a lot of players and without too many games it's not easy to rotate everyone," Stellini said.
"Precisely, for this reason, we have to congratulate guys like him, Juan Jesus, Giacomo Raspadori and Rafael Marin. They work to improve both themselves and the squad."
Conte did not attend the press conference or conduct any media duties after the match, with Stellini explaining his decision.
"We are very happy for the win, but this afternoon we received a terrible blow," Stellini said.
"We lost a person very dear to us, very close to all of Napoli, a child who was sick and to whom we tried to give moments of joy and who gave us a lot of strength in return.
"The manager was [therefore] not up to coming to speak about the game.
"Our thoughts go to the little fan, his family and to all the children who suffer with serious illnesses from which they cannot recover. The message is for them. We say farewell to little Daniele."
