Torino 0-1 Napoli: McTominay's strike earns league leaders narrow win
SSC Napoli increased their advantage at the top of the Serie A standings following a narrow victory over Torino, marking the Partenopei's fifth league win by a single goal this season.
Given that both Napoli and Torino are among five Serie A teams with four victories by a one-goal margin this year, a tightly contested match was expected at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino.
Romelu Lukaku's creative backheel was expertly thwarted by Vanja Milinković-Savic, who subsequently made another outstanding save to deny Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s powerful header midway through the first half.
Scott McTominay broke the stalemate shortly thereafter, connecting with Kvaratskhelia’s pullback inside the box to unleash an unstoppable left-footed shot into the near post.
Paolo Vanoli’s squad came agonizingly close to equalizing immediately after, but Saul Coco’s inexplicable miss from close range left the home side lamenting their fortune. The Partenopei went into halftime with a narrow lead, maintaining their record as the only Serie A team yet to concede in the first 40 minutes of away matches this season.
Determined to extend their four-point gap above the relegation zone, Torino regrouped after the interval, but it was Giovanni Di Lorenzo who posed the first threat, narrowly heading wide of the left post.
Shortly thereafter, Vanja Milinković-Savic was called into action once more, denying Mathias Olivera’s header as Napoli ramped up their efforts to secure a second goal.
Il Toro remained hopeful until the final whistle, although their attempts rarely troubled the Partenopei defense. Ultimately, they faced a sixth winless home match in seven outings, but not before Giovanni Simeone forced Milinković-Savic into yet another remarkable save following a brilliant solo effort in the dying moments.
In conjunction with Venezia, Torino has accumulated the fewest points in Serie A since matchweek six, resulting in Vanoli's team occupying a midtable position after suffering their seventh defeat of the season.
Since their victory over Como in late October, they have not experienced a win in the league. Conversely, league leaders Napoli have had a markedly different experience, having achieved five clean sheets in six away matches following their initial away campaign loss of 3-0 to Hellas Verona.
SportsLigue