Lazio handed a smidge of lifeline to the chasing pack in Serie A by beating the runaway leaders Napoli at their turn to hand them only their second loss of the season.
Matías Vecino scored the only goal of the game at Diego Maradona Stadium in Naples to help his side leapfrog Inter Milan, the only other side to have beaten Napoli this season, in the league table.
The signs of an upset were there from the start.
Lazio could have gone ahead after just five minutes only for Giovanni Di Lorenzo to clear Vecino’s goal-bound header off the line.
Napoli’s high-powered attack of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Victor Osimhen and Hirving Lozano all failed to get going in the first half despite their side keeping most of the ball.
The host’s first chance came just close to the hour mark with midfielder Piotr Zielinski unleashing a vicious shot from the edge of the box which narrowly missed the target.
Vecino then finally broke the deadlock in the 67th minute after he picked up a ball cleared by Kvaratskhelia and unleashed a first-time shot from a distance which went inside the left post.
Napoli then pushed hard for an equaliser which very nearly came when Osimhen headed the ball onto the woodwork before Lazio held on for all three points.
Luciano Spalletti’s men still lead the table with 65 points, 15 ahead of their nearest challenger Lazio who moved into second with 48 points.
Inter and AC Milan are on 47 points with a game in hand.
