Juventus maintained their six-point lead at the top of Serie A after a battling 1-1 draw at second-placed Napoli last night.
Gokhan Inler’s deflected long-range strike two minutes from half-time cancelled out Giorgio Chiellini’s 10th minute header in a physical contest that could have seen Edinson Cavani sent off for elbowing Chiellini in the head just after Inler’s equaliser.
Chiellini had pulled the Uruguayan’s hair.
The draw means champions Juve move up to 59 points with 11 games left while Napoli have now drawn four games in a row.
Milan and Lazio meet at the San Siro tonight with Vladimir Petkovic’s side looking to strengthen their grip on third place and Milan hoping to overtake them despite Mario Balotelli missing through injury.
Juve appeared to be on course for a nine-point cushion at the top of the table when Chiellini headed them in front while they scuppered further chances to increase their lead.
Napoli then levelled just before half-time with a deflected effort and had the better chances to win the game in the second half, but ultimately had to settle for a point in front of their own fans.
Just 13 seconds were on the clock when Marek Hamsik turned Goran Pandev’s cross wide.
However, it proved to be a rare threat to Gianluigi Buffon’s goal as Juventus immediately gained control of the match, taking the lead in the 10th minute.
Andrea Pirlo sent in a cross from the left which was met by Chiellini, who had stayed up following a corner, and he used strength and determination to head the ball unstoppably past Morgan de Sanctis, beating Miguel Britos in the air.
Two minutes later, Stephan Lichtsteiner wanted a penalty when he went down under the challenge of Inler, but referee Daniele Orsato waved away his appeals.
Mirko Vucinic failed to replicate Chiellini’s determination when he headed a cross wide of the far post midway through the first half before De Sanctis denied him with an excellent reflex save.
Napoli were struggling to get into the game, but a break in the 43rd minute saw them level through Inler. His shot took a deflection off the head of Leo-nardo Bonucci, which lifted the ball above the hand of Buffon.
At the end of the half, Edinson Cavani and Chiellini clashed in the penalty area with both receiving a yellow card, although the Napoli forward was fortunate not to receive more.
The home side then improved in the second half with Buffon having to earn his money.
He turned Hamsik’s shot wide for a corner before parrying another effort from the Slovakian midfielder with Blerim Dzemaili sending the rebound wide.
The game then fizzled out with both sides seemingly happy with a point each, although the draw only really helps Juventus who also have a superior head-to-head record over Napoli.
Fixtures
Serie A
Napoli 1
Inler 43
Juventus 1
Chiellini 10
Ht: 1-1. Att: 60,000
Playing Today
Milan Vs Lazio 20.45
Tomorrow – 15.00
Bologna Vs Cagliari
Catania Vs Inter
Fiorentina Vs Chievo
Pescara Vs Udinese
Roma Vs Genoa 20.45
Sampdoria Vs Parma
Siena Vs Atalanta
Torino Vs Palermo 12.30
Serie B
Playing Today – 15.00
Cesena Vs Modena
Cittadella Vs Ternana
Crotone Vs Ascoli
Empoli Vs Varese
Juve Stabia Vs Pro Vercelli
Novara Vs Reggina
Sassuolo Vs Grosseto
Spezia Vs Livorno
Lanciano Vs Brescia
Monday
Vicenza Vs Bari - 19.00
Verona Vs Padova - 21.00
Standings: Sassuolo 64; Livorno 54; Verona 53; Varese (-1) 46; Empoli 43; Padova 39; Juve Stabia 38; Modena (-2) 37; Novara (-4) 35; Brescia, Ternana, Lanciano 34; Ascoli (-1), Spezia, Cittadella, Crotone (-2) 33; Cesena 31; Reggina (-2) 30; Vicenza 28; Bari (-7) 26; Pro Vercelli 21; Grosseto (-6) 16.