Napoli coach Antonio Conte believes his team has regained momentum in the Serie A title race following a crucial 2-1 home victory over AC Milan on Sunday. The win moved the reigning champions within three points of league leaders Inter Milan, who also secured a 2-1 triumph against Udinese, while third-placed Atalanta suffered a 1-0 defeat at Fiorentina.
“It’s an important result that allows us to stay in Inter’s slipstream and distance ourselves from fifth place,” Conte told DAZN. “The Champions League places weren’t even our initial goal. We started out trying to get into Europe, but now we are there, and after eight months of work, it would be crazy not to believe in something extraordinary.”
Napoli dominated the first half at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, storming to a 2-0 lead with goals from Matteo Politano and Romelu Lukaku. However, AC Milan responded in the second half, with Luka Jovic pulling one back, forcing Conte to make tactical adjustments to secure the three points.
“This is one of those days when I hate being a coach,” Conte admitted. “We dominated the first half, but let’s not forget that AC Milan are a very good team and strengthened in January.”
The victory was even more impressive considering Napoli’s squad issues. Scott McTominay was ruled out due to flu symptoms, while Leonardo Spinazzola missed the match with an injury. Despite these setbacks, David Neres returned to the starting lineup, and Frank Anguissa played despite recently sustaining an injury.
“We lost McTominay at the last minute, so I had to take a risk. Also, I had to force the situation with Anguissa, who returned from international duty with an injury, and Neres hadn’t played for a long time either,” Conte added.
Napoli entered the match with just one win in their previous seven league games, but Sunday’s triumph has injected new optimism into their title push. Conte, however, is urging his squad to remain focused on one game at a time.
“We have to be aware that we are doing something extraordinary and miraculous. Yet, we have to be fierce—there are eight games left, and then we will think about the future,” he concluded.
With renewed belief and a crucial three points secured, Napoli’s hopes of defending their Serie A title remain alive as the season enters its final stretch.
