Romelu Lukaku scored against his former club as Napoli edged past struggling Roma with a 1-0 victory on Sunday, reclaiming the top spot in Serie A and spoiling Claudio Ranieri’s debut as Roma’s manager.
The win propelled Napoli one point ahead of Atalanta, Inter Milan, Fiorentina, and Lazio in the standings.
Fiorentina extended their winning streak to seven matches with a 2-0 triumph over Como, while Lazio cruised to a 3-0 win against 10-man Bologna.
Lukaku found the net early in the second half, converting a cross from Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. Roma came close to equalizing when Artem Dovbyk’s header struck the crossbar.
Lukaku, who played for Roma last season, became a key signing for Napoli following Antonio Conte’s appointment as manager earlier this season.
Ranieri, brought in just 10 days ago as Roma’s third coach of the season, replaced Ivan Juric, who had earlier succeeded Daniele De Rossi. Despite the managerial change, Roma remains in 12th place, just four points clear of the relegation zone.
