Olivier Giroud’s second-half goal sent AC Milan back to the top of Serie A as they battled to a 1-0 win away at Napoli.
Chances were few and far between the two sides in a nervous encounter. Both the teams were unwilling to commit too much to the win as a draw would have benefitted both outfits.
The hosts only managed two shots on target throughout the 90 minutes at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
After a low-key first-half in which neither side really threatened, Giroud scored the only goal of the game as he turned in Davide Calabria’s cross-shot four minutes after the break.
Adam Ounas curled his effort wide for Napoli and Hirving Lozano dragged his shot wide late on as they tried in vain to find an answer to the Frenchman’s strike.
Theo Hernandez and Alexis Saelemaekers failed to put the game away as they were denied by smart saves from Napoli’s goalkeeper David Ospina on-the-counter attacks in the closing stages of the contest.
Their victory means that Stefano Pioli’s Milan sits at the apex of the Serie A table with 60 points once again dethroning their city rivals Inter. The reigning Seria A champions sit two points behind Milan but with a game in hand over the Rossoneri. While the side from Naples now sits in third with a three-point deficit.
