Scott McTominay struck early as Napoli edged Cagliari 1-0 to climb into second place in Serie A.
Antonio Conte’s men grabbed the decisive goal just two minutes in and held firm to claim all three points, moving above AC Milan before the remaining weekend fixtures.
The breakthrough came in a chaotic goalmouth moment after Matteo Politano delivered a dangerous cross. Alessandro Buongiorno’s initial effort was saved, but McTominay reacted quickest, turning the ball in at the second attempt after first hitting the post from close range.
Politano later forced another save from the Cagliari goalkeeper, while the hosts nearly capitalised on a Napoli mistake, only for Sebastiano Esposito to fire wide.
Napoli continued to control large spells of the contest, with McTominay, Billy Gilmour and Kevin De Bruyne all finding promising positions, though clear-cut chances remained limited.
De Bruyne and Politano both tested Elia Caprile, while Gianluca Gaetano also went close at the other end after a slick attacking move.
Cagliari nearly snatched a late equaliser when Yerry Mina sent a dangerous low cross into the box, but Leonardo Spinazzola got there just in time to clear the threat off the line before Yael Trepy could pounce.
McTominay once again proved decisive on his return to the starting XI. The midfielder has now scored 19 goals in 59 Serie A matches for Napoli — matching the number he managed in the Premier League for Manchester United, where it took him 178 appearances.
He also posted a game-high seven shots, 1.21 expected goals, and nine touches in the opposition box.
Napoli are now unbeaten in their last 15 Serie A away games against Cagliari, with 10 wins and five draws, while the hosts failed to register a single shot on target from seven attempts.
