Napoli 2-4 AS Roma: 5 Talking Points

Napoli were left quaking in the boots after their title hopes were dealt with a severe blow in a thumping 2-4 defeat to a rejuvenated AS Roma at the Stadio San Paolo. Juventus, who left it late against Lazio earlier in the day, are just a point behind with a game in hand.

A sixth-minute opener from Lorenzo Insigne suggested another victory on the cards, but the celebrations were short-lived as Cenriz Under equalised for the hosts within a minute. A composed Edin Dzeko scored on either side of the halves to put the game beyond doubt, and Diego Perotti added the cherry on top with a fourth goal.

With the match already decided by then, Dries Mertens curled in a late one to salvage some pride, but it did little to allay the fears that engulfed the cauldron as their Serie A ambitions threaten to tumble. Here's what we learnt from the match.

Here are the 5 talking points from the clash...

#5 The game lived up to its billing

Even though the game was littered with nervy moments for the fans in either camps, the neutrals were served an absolute treat under Saturday night lights. Napoli versus AS Roma was the top billing in Serie A this weekend among a handful of enticing clashes lined-up on matchday 27, and it thoroughly lived up to all the pre-match hullabaloo.

Both sides flew out of the blocks right from the offing as each bagged a goal apiece inside the first 10 minutes. This edgy start to the tie did not slacken off as it progressed and produced plenty of moments to savour. The mammoth combined total of 18 shots on target testifies the amount of goal-mouth action that transpired, whilst the 15 fouls committed on the night evinced the gravitas of this match.

Napoli and Roma had their own incentives going into the tie and the way they fiercely contested, implied they would pull no punches in the quest. This, in turn, resulted in a mouth-watering spectacle for the viewers who had their nerves wracked through the course of 90 minutes.

#4 Shoddy defending puts Napoli down

Marco Rui was at fault for two of Roma's goals

Of the aforementioned 18 shots, a good 13 of those came through the hosts indicating a blistering attacking pelt from Sarri's men. But Napoli were let down by some timid defending as the Giallorossis ruthlessly exposed the chinks at the back.

Marco Rui let Under have a go at the goal unchallenged, while Dzeko had little trouble beating Raul Albiol for the second. In fact, every time the visitors charged into the opposition box, it looked as if it would end with a goal. Such was the listlessness of Napoli's backline. Rui’s terrible backward clearance that led to Perotti slotting in a fourth, just summed up the defensive frailties the side were plagued with.

Napoli, prior to the kick-off, held the joint-best defensive record in the league by conceding only 15 goals from 26 games. But today's limp showing severely undermined all the great work as the Partenopei backline was in no man’s land.

#3 Dzeko and Under’s partnership works its magic again

Edin Dzeko and Cengiz Under have been a fine pairing in the attack

Whilst Edin Dzeko continues to fire at all cylinders in 2018, the rise and rise of Cengiz Under since the turn of the year has truly been a bane for Roma. The departure of Mohammed Salah may have left a void, but the young Turkish sensation is fast growing into the man who could fill the same.

Together, the forwards have forged a fearsome striking partnership to bail out the Romans on so many occasions in the recent weeks. And against Napoli, the two once again combined to great effect and caused all sorts of headaches to the hosts, amassing three of their four goals on the night.

Dzeko and Under have now salvaged 10 points from the 14 that Roma have gathered in the 9 games this calendar year, showcasing how vital they have been to the club’s steady march towards the top. And whilst the attacking combination is no legendary stuff, it surely is propelling Roma back into the top three after a tough run in January.

#2 Roma have a pep in their step ahead of Champions League return

AS Roma have a timely boost ahead of the final stretch of the season

Given the contrasting run of form of the two teams, Napoli were the clear favourites going into the tie. The early Insigne opener further fanned the flames, but Eusebio Di Francesco’s side tore the script apart with an encouraging show and revived their fledgeling season.

Having dropped out of the Champions League places to relegate down to 5th until last week, Roma’s European campaign too threatened to end prematurely after going down in a shock 2-1 loss to Shakhtar Donetsk last month. But with this victory, the capital club have not only leapfrogged Lazio into third but also gave themselves a timely boost ahead of the return fixture with the Ukrainians next week.

What’s left to be dealt with now is the leaky defence that’s now conceded two in each of the last three outings, registering a clean-sheet on only two occasions in the previous 13. Eusebio must find a way to arrest this leak, as Roma look perfectly alright everywhere else.

#1 Title race is blown wide open

A direct implication of this defeat is that Napoli now hover just a point over title-rivals Juventus, who also have a game in hand. The Bianconeri almost dropped points earlier in the day when they were supposedly headed to a draw against Lazio, but Paulo Dybala’s intervention deep into stoppage time ensured the pressure’s firmly on Napoli to respond.

But the Skyblues now instead stare at a very real prospect of another agonizing failure of bringing the Scudetto back to Naples after almost three decades.

There's still hope though, as we are 11 rounds away from the season finale and Juventus seem to have a relatively tougher run-in. With both sides still to face the Milan teams, the Bianconeri will also have to contend with Roma on the penultimate matchday, and not to forget the deciding clash between them and Napoli at the end of April.

It isn't easy, even on paper, and nothing’s decided yet. But for now, the Italian top flight stares at an interesting final few weeks.