Napoli go top with 3-1 win over Atalanta
NAPLES, Italy :Defending champions Napoli moved provisionally top of the Serie A standings after a 3-1 home win over Atalanta on Saturday, with David Neres scoring a first-half double to send the hosts on their way to a largely comfortable victory.
Antonio Conte's Napoli are on 25 points, one ahead of Inter Milan, AS Roma and Bologna. Inter face neighbours AC Milan on Sunday, with Roma at Cremonese, while Bologna won 3-0 at Udinese on Saturday. Atalanta remain 13th in the standings on 13 points.
Conte's side had lost top spot after earning one point from their last two games but proved too strong for an Atalanta side which had Raffaele Palladino in charge for the first time since replacing Ivan Juric, sacked after a seven-match winless streak in the league.
Napoli looked full of energy from the off and took the lead in the 17th minute. Rasmus Hojlund's perfectly weighted flicked pass sent Neres racing through on goal and he kept his cool to steer his shot beyond keeper Marco Carnesecchi.
Neres doubled Napoli's lead seven minutes before the interval, this time Scott McTominay providing the assist, and the Brazilian's first-time shot nestled in the far bottom corner of the net.
Napoli were 3-0 up and looked out of sight by the break when Noa Lang powered in a header on the stroke of halftime before Palladino sent on Gianluca Scamacca for the second half and the striker pulled one goal back in the 52nd minute.
Raoul Bellanova sent a cross into the box which Scamacca volleyed home to keep the visitors in the game and they continued to pile on the pressure while Napoli were content to sit back and collect the three points.
