Napoli kept their slim Serie A title hopes alive with a commanding 4-0 victory over struggling Cremonese at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, ensuring Inter’s title celebrations will have to wait a little longer.
Antonio Conte’s side responded in emphatic fashion after suffering their first home league defeat of the season last weekend, producing a dominant display from the opening minutes.
Napoli should have gone ahead almost immediately, with Emil Audero denying Scott McTominay before Rasmus Hojlund fired over from a promising position. The breakthrough, however, arrived moments later when McTominay struck brilliantly from around 20 yards to give the hosts an early lead.
The home side remained in full control and doubled their advantage before halftime. Hojlund’s effort took a heavy deflection and rolled into the bottom corner, leaving Cremonese with a mountain to climb.
Napoli added a third before the interval, with Kevin De Bruyne reacting sharply after McTominay had kept the ball alive in impressive fashion. The Belgian dispossessed Youssef Maleh and finished from close range to make it 3-0.
The match was effectively over seven minutes into the second half. Alisson Santos collected the ball deep in his own half before driving through the Cremonese defence and finishing confidently to complete the scoring.
Napoli continued to create chances, with Billy Gilmour denied by Audero and Amir Rrahmani heading against the woodwork. McTominay also missed the chance to add another when his late penalty was saved.
The win moves Napoli up to second place, although they remain nine points behind leaders Inter, who still have a game in hand.
For Cremonese, the defeat deepens their relegation worries. They remain just above the drop zone, with only one win in their last 20 matches.
