Lazio hammered a struggling AC Milan at home to hand Napoli a massive lead at the top of the Serie A table after match-week 19.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Mattia Zaccagni, Luis Alberto and Felipe Anderson all found the back of the net during their 4-0 win which extended Milan’s winless run to five games in all competitions.
Milan’s recent poor showings include getting thumped 3-0 by rivals Internazionale to lose the Italian Super Cup and crashing out of the Coppa Italia in the last 16 against 10-man Torino the week before.
Their hopes of arresting their slide took a hit in just the 4th minute when Milinkovic-Savic fired Lazio in front with a typical low shot into the bottom-left corner past Ciprian Tătăruşanu.
Zaccagni went on to double his side’s lead in the 38th minute tapping the ball home after midfielder Adam Marusic hit the post from the edge of the six-yard box.
Milan showed a little more bite in the second half with Ismael Bennacer sending his powerful free-kick inches wide of the right post just minutes following the break.
However, their adventures in the attacking half allowed gaps to form in defence with Luis Alberto putting the game to bed from the penalty spot in the 67th minute after Pierre Kalulu fouled Pedro.
Anderson completed the rout in the 75th minute after calmly converting Luis Alberto’s cross to put their name in the hat for Serie A contenders this season.
With the win, Lazio leapfrogs Inter Milan to third in the Serie A table with 37 points while AC Milan remains in second with 38 after 19 games.
Napoli now has a 12-point cushion at the top of the table following Milan’s loss.
