Scott McTominay scored the decisive goal as Napoli secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory away at bottom club Monza on Saturday, April 19th, ending a three-month wait for an away win and drawing level on points with Serie A leaders Inter Milan.
Napoli, missing several key defenders including Juan Jesus and Alessandro Buongiorno, gave Rafa Marín his first Serie A start. The Spanish defender made an immediate impact, producing a crucial goal-line interception to deny Monza’s Dany Mota Carvalho an early tap-in.
The visitors gradually asserted control, with Stefano Turati saving a powerful McTominay free-kick before Luca Caldirola bravely blocked the midfielder’s follow-up effort. Amir Rrahmani also headed wide from a corner. Monza threatened sporadically, with Gaetano Castrovilli skimming the post after a mazy run and Alessandro Bianco seeing a volley deflected wide. Romelu Lukaku also missed a clear chance for Napoli before halftime, scuffing his finish from close range.
After the break, substitute Giacomo Raspadori created a golden opportunity for Matteo Politano, but Turati made a decisive one-handed save.
The breakthrough finally came in the 72nd minute. Raspadori delivered an inviting cross from the left, and McTominay rose above Luca Caldirola to head past the stranded Turati for his 10th goal of the season in all competitions (9th in Serie A).
The 1-0 win was Napoli’s first away victory since defeating Atalanta on January 18th. It moves Antonio Conte’s side level with Inter Milan on 71 points at the top of Serie A, although Inter have a game in hand against Bologna on Sunday. Monza remain rooted to the bottom of the table with 15 points.
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