At the Allianz Stadium in Turin, Juventus avenged themselves for their recent shortcomings against Napoli by thumping their rivals by three unanswered goals.
Luciano Spalletti reverted to a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Jonathan David leading the line, supported by Kenan Yildiz and Francisco Conceicao. In the middle of the park, Khephren Thuram joined Juventus captain Manuel Locatelli, while Weston McKennie and Andrea Cambiaso operated as wingbacks.
Antonio Conte’s Napoli adopted a similar system. Rasmus Hojlund started in attack as usual, with Antonio Vergara and Eljif Elmas operating behind him amidst the lack of options. Scott McTominay linked up with Stanislav Lobotka in the double pivot.
The Bianconeri were the better side from the get-go, dominating possession while working their way into the final third.
The home side were a whisker away from taking the lead through Thuram, who received an inviting ball from Yildiz and sent a vicious curler towards an impossible corner, but it crashed against the woodwork.
Nevertheless, it didn’t take Juventus long to break the deadlock. Locatelli stood up early to collect a loose ball, and picked up David with a sensational assist. The Canadian was able to ward off Leonardo Spinazzola and place his shot past Alex Meret.
Jonathan David (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
Spalletti’s men almost doubled their lead immediately when Yildiz teed up the unmarked Conceicao. The Portuguese winger beat Meret, but Alessandro Buongiorno pulled off an astonishing goal-line clearance.
While the visitors showed some improvement in the second period, they weren’t able to genuinely pose a threat to Michele Di Gregorio’s goal.
On the other hand, the Bianconeri patiently awaited their chance to kill off the game, and in the end, it was a mistake from Juan Jesus that gifted them the second goal. The Brazilian played a poor square ball that was collected by Fabio Miretti. The midfielder put Yildiz through on goal, and the latter whipped it past Meret.
And yet, the Old Lady wasn’t done just yet. A quick sequence of passes eventually put Filip Kostic in a promising shooting position. The Serbian winger gunned towards the bottom corner and managed to open up a shocking three-goal deficit.
With this big win, Juventus have boosted their top-four hopes, while hampering Napoli’s already-shaky title defence.
Goals: 22′ David (J), 77′ Yildiz (J), 85′ Kostic (J)
Napoli XI (3-4-2-1): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Buongiorno, Juan Jesus; Gutierrez (74′ Beukema), Lobotka, McTominay, Spinazzola; Vergara (78′ Lukaku), Elmas (68′ Giovane); Højlund.
Yellow cards: 33′ Juan Jesus (N), 56′ Yildiz (J), 73′ Vergara (N)
Referee: Mariani.
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