Antonio Conte’s men were desperate for a victory to keep pace with leaders Inter. However, to the surprise of most, it was strugglers Empoli who started the better side, but they couldn’t turn their positive play into clear-cut chances.
It felt as if the visitors had missed the boat somewhat, and their fears were confirmed when the home side broke at speed, and Scott McTominay had time and space to place his shot from 25 yards into the left-hand corner of the net.
Napoli were in a confident mood now, with Matteo Politano testing Devis Vasquez via a curling effort from the edge of the area, before his chipped cross from the byline was directed goalwards by David Neres.
The Empoli goalkeeper reacted sharply to tip the ball over the crossbar, however, ensuring the deficit remained at one at the break.
Prior to the weekend, no side in the traditional big-five European leagues had drawn more often than Napoli in the preceding nine rounds of action. Naturally then, the Neapolitans were eager to kill off Empoli as early as possible after HT, and they could have doubled their lead two minutes after the restart when Juan Jesus headed over the bar from a corner.
Their relentless pressure paid off just nine minutes later though, as Billy Gilmour’s pass into the area was controlled by Mathías Olivera before the left-back played a well-timed pass to find Romelu Lukaku.
Deadly as ever, the former Inter man made no mistake with a powerful left-footed finish from close range to double the hosts’ advantage. And if the victory looked certain from here, it was put beyond any doubt five minutes later, when McTominay rose highest to head home from Lukaku’s pinpoint cross.
The Scotsman’s strike, which marked his first brace since December 2023, sealed a crucial victory in the context of keeping Napoli’s title charge alive. Napoli have closed the gap to leaders Inter to three points, while Empoli missed the chance to climb out of the relegation zone – they remain 19th and three points from safety.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Scott McTominay (Napoli)