Napoli moved level with Serie A leaders AC Milan on Sunday thanks to a 3-1 win at Atalanta which put distance between them and champions Inter Milan ahead of their showdown at Juventus.
Hunting a first league title since 1990 when Diego Maradona was still strutting his stuff in Naples, Napoli are six points ahead of third-placed Inter after a third straight win which came without suspended star striker Victor Osimhen.
They prevailed in Bergamo thanks to Lorenzo Insigne’s early penalty, a sweet Matteo Politano volley eight minutes before half-time and a stunning breakaway finished by Eljif Elmas just as Atalanta were pushing for a leveller.
Luciano Spalletti’s side sit side-by-side on 66 points with Milan, who host Bologna on Monday night hoping to re-establish their lead of three and move even further ahead of either Inter or Juve.