Scott McTominay scored two first-half goals to give Napoli a crucial 2-0 home victory over Torino on Sunday, sending Antonio Conte’s side three points clear at the top of the Serie A table with just four games remaining. The win also mathematically secured Napoli’s return to the Champions League next season.
Napoli seized the opportunity presented by title rivals Inter Milan’s 1-0 home defeat to AS Roma earlier on Sunday. They took the lead at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in just the seventh minute when André-Frank Zambo Anguissa squared the ball for McTominay, who bundled it home from close range.
The Scotland midfielder, enjoying a prolific debut season since his move from Manchester United, doubled Napoli’s lead shortly before halftime. Matteo Politano delivered a neat lofted cross, and McTominay arrived near the penalty spot to score his 11th Serie A goal of the campaign, setting a new record for a Scottish player in Italy’s top flight.
Despite Napoli controlling the match, they registered only those two shots on target. Torino offered little threat, failing to record a single attempt on target throughout the 90 minutes. Napoli substitute Philip Billing came closest to adding a third when his header struck the crossbar late in the second half.
The victory was somewhat soured by injuries to key players Anguissa and defender Alessandro Buongiorno, who were both forced off around the hour mark. Coach Conte expressed hope post-match that the injuries were not serious.
The win takes Napoli to 74 points, three clear of defending champions Inter (71 points). With a favourable run-in against teams currently in the bottom half of the table – starting with Lecce away next Saturday – Napoli are now in a strong position to claim their second Scudetto in three years.
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