Giacomo Raspadori’s late goal earned a Napoli a second-straight Serie A win for the first time since September as they recorded a 2-1 victory over Juventus, who lost further ground on the league leaders as a result.
A frantic first-half was on show for supporters inside the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium but Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s strike three minutes before the break put Napoli a goal up at half-time.
Excitement levels in the second period did not drop and Juventus thought they would take a share of the spoils when Federico Chiesa’s beauty levelled things up.
However, Giacomo Raspadori’s rebound from Victor Osimhen’s missed penalty gave Napoli a second win on the bounce, while – as a result – Juventus dropped further behind leaders Inter Milan.
The visitors were first to test the waters and Dusan Vlahovic aimed and fired just wide of the far post in the 11th minute.
Napoli came closest to opening the scoring when Frank Anguissa was denied by Wojciech Szczesny from six yards and Matteo Politano’s follow up was also kept out by the Poland goalkeeper.
The game was already teeing up to be an end-to-end thriller, this time Chiesa picked out Samuel Iling-Junior but his first-time effort went marginally wide.
Juventus came within inches of breaking the deadlock in the 34th minute when Vlahovic latched onto Chiesa’s through ball, he dinked it over the onrushing Alex Meret and onto the post.
Back came Napoli and Mathias Olivera’s goalbound header was cleared off the line by Alex Sandro with the score somehow still at 0-0.
Three minutes before the break, Napoli had a breakthrough. Moments after Anguissa had a shot blocked, a defensive header fell into the path of Kvaratskhelia, who proved too powerful for Szczesny and volleyed the ball into the bottom corner.
Juventus could have had an equaliser almost straight away after Daniele Rugani capitalised on some loose possession in the home defence, the ball fell kindly to Vlahovic but he could not take advantage and skied his effort over the crossbar.
Chances continued to come for Serbia international Vlahovic but he failed to find the back of the net, this time he broke the line but tamely hit his shot into the firm grasp of Meret.
Juventus went in search of an equaliser, Southampton loanee Carlos Alcaraz decided to have a crack this time but his shot deflected kindly for Meret.
The visitors found an equaliser in the 82nd minute when Chiesa found space just inside the box and cracked a daisycutter into the bottom-left corner to level things up at one apiece.
Napoli were given the chance to retake the lead after Osimhen was brought down inside the box by Joseph Nonge, with referee Maurizio Mariani awarding a penalty following a VAR check.
From the resulting spot-kick, Osimhen saw his strike saved by Szczesny but Raspadori was on hand to smash home his rebound via the post to save the blushes of the Nigeria striker.
Juventus missed a golden opportunity to snatch an equaliser at the death when Chiesa’s driven cross was diverted over the crossbar by Rugani with the goal at his mercy.
Napoli held on for maximum points to move up to seventh and leave their second-placed opponents 12 points off the lead.
Bayern Munich 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt: Kane scores landmark double in home win
Harry Kane scored twice to surpass the 400-goal mark for his senior career and guide Bayern Munich to a 2-1 Bundesliga victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.
The Bavarians, who saw Bayer Leverkusen end their 11-year-Bundesliga reign by securing the league crown two weeks ago, have only the Champions League trophy to fight for with departing coach Thomas Tuchel eager to leave on a high note.
Bayern warmed up for Tuesday's semi-final first leg against Real Madrid with three points at the Allianz Arena, denting Eintracht's hopes of European qualification in the process.
They went in front with Kane tapping in after a fine run from Konrad Laimer in the ninth minute, though the Austrian had to be taken off injured later on.
Eintracht levelled in the 23rd minute with Hugo Ekitike's shot from 18 yards out but Kane restored order with a penalty just past the hour for his 35th league goal of the campaign.
It was his 400th career goal at senior level for club and country and his 42nd this season across all competitions, a personal best for the England captain.
The hosts also had to take off defender Matthijs de Ligt at half-time after he was on the wrong end of some rough challenges, potentially giving Tuchel another selection headache ahead of Tuesday's tussle with Los Blancos.
Bayern remain in second place with three games left to play on 69 points, 11 behind Leverkusen, who are in action against third-placed Stuttgart later on Saturday.
Fulham 1-1 Crystal Palace: Schlupp strikes late to give visitors deserved point
Substitute Jeffrey Schlupp scored a thunderous late equaliser to give Crystal Palace a point as they battled back to draw 1-1 with Fulham in a London derby at Craven Cottage.
Schlupp equalised with just three minutes remaining, firing a long-range strike into the roof of the net to extend Palace’s unbeaten run to four Premier League games.
Rodrigo Muniz had given Fulham the lead early in the second half, the striker converting Timothy Castagne’s cross to break the deadlock after visitors Palace had controlled the first half.
Fulham and Palace sit 13th and 14th respectively in Premier League table, with just three points separating them.
Palace started on the front foot and Michael Olise passed up the first chance of the game after Adam Wharton’s defence-splitting pass found the forward inside the penalty area.
Frustratingly for Oliver Glasner’s visitors, they were unable to test Bernd Leno in the Fulham goal early on despite making a strong start to the game.
In-form striker Jean-Philippe Mateta swung at Daniel Munoz’s near-post cross but saw his effort fly over the crossbar.
Chris Richards then leapt highest from Olise’s in-swinging free kick delivery, but the defender could not direct his header on target from close range.
Fulham remained pinned back in their own half, but the hosts were not giving up any clear-cut chances, with Wharton and Olise both trying their luck from 20 yards out.
The Cottagers managed to apply brief pressure to the Palace backline late in the first half and Dean Henderson had to be alert to keep out Muniz’s shot.
Fulham improved after the break and Muniz opened the scoring in the 52nd minute. After winning possession, the hosts quickly broke forward and Muniz headed in Castagne’s delightful delivery.
Bobby De Cordova-Reid lacked the required composure to double Fulham’s lead after a swift counter-attack found the forward free at the back post.
As Palace sought a way back into the game at the other end, substitute Odsonne Edouard nearly made an immediate impact, but Leno got down low to keep out his strike.
However, the visitors were not to be denied and it was fellow sub Schlupp who smashed in the equaliser courtesy of a fierce strike that left Leno rooted to the spot, with Wharton getting the assist.
Muniz back on track
While the late goal came as a blow, Marco Silva’s side continued their recent good form against Palace with this draw, extending their unbeaten run against their London rivals to five league games.
It was a frustrating first half for Fulham as they struggled to get out of their own half until the final moments and Henderson was largely a spectator before Muniz’s shot tested him.
Muniz had struggled to get into the game but it was he who grabbed the game’s first goal in the second half, heading in Castagne’s cross.
It got Muniz back on the scoresheet for the first time since netting against Sheffield United last month.
However, Silva’s side could not hold onto the three points despite a disciplined defensive performance.
It was also a good day for Alex Iwobi, who made his 250th Premier League appearance, becoming only the fourth Nigerian to do so.
Palace momentum continues
The Eagles saw their three-game winning streak come to an end in West London but grabbed a morale-boosting late point to maintain their momentum.
Schlupp’s strike was the quality moment they required to break down Fulham’s well-drilled defence.
Glasner’s team were the better of the two sides in the first half, with Wharton impressing in the middle of the park and Olise the most likely to be at the heart of any Palace threat.
Mateta had less of an impact, though, and the Eagles only managed one shot on target in the first half.
Not making the most of a positive opening period proved costly when they fell behind and they looked to be heading for defeat before Schlupp spectacularly salvaged a point.
Manchester United 1-1 Burnley: Late Amdouni penalty earns Burnley deserved point at Old Trafford
Burnley boosted their Premier League survival hopes after holding Manchester United to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.
Zeki Amdouni’s calm late penalty moved Burnley within two points of safety with three games remaining.
All the Clarets’ hard work appeared to be in vain when Antony broke the deadlock, but they responded well to ensure a hard-earned share of the spoils.
Burnley remain 19th but are now two points behind 17th-place Nottingham Forest, who host Manchester City on Sunday, while United stay sixth.
Although David Datro Fofana shot straight at Andre Onana inside the opening 30 seconds, United soon established their authority on proceedings with Christian Eriksen curling just wide and Fernandes rattling Arijanet Muric’s right post as they threatened the opening goal.
But the hosts had Onana to thank for keeping Burnley at bay as the first half went on. First, he tipped over Wilson Odobert’s long-range effort, before producing a magnificent reflex save to deny Foster.
Onana kept out Foster again while Alejandro Garnacho fired into the side-netting four minutes before half-time, as both sides returned to their dressing rooms still seeking the breakthrough.
Garnacho continued to carry United’s greatest threat after the break. The Argentine winger shot narrowly wide after a swift counter, before Muric pushed away his powerful volley from a corner.
However, the visitors gifted their opponents the opening goal in the 79th minute, as Antony intercepted Sander Berge’s loose pass before racing away and slotting past Muric.
But there was to be a late twist three minutes from time, when Amdouni coolly rolled home the equaliser from the penalty spot after VAR ruled Onana had fouled the Burnley striker.
Ton up for Fernandes as United stumble
United ended their four-game winless streak when they came from behind to beat Sheffield United in midweek.
However, they have not recorded successive victories since mid-February after Amdouni’s late penalty.
Bruno Fernandes did his best to rally the hosts, becoming the first player this season to create 100 or more chances.
It was in vain however, with Erik ten Hag’s side now having failed to keep a clean sheet in six attempts.
More Old Trafford joy for Kompany
Vincent Kompany won five of his nine Premier League visits to Old Trafford as a player (56 per cent), with only David Silva enjoying a higher success rate among opposing players with eight or more trips (75 per cent).
The Belgian was looking to become the third person to triumph here as a player and manager, after Steve Clarke and Mark Hughes.
While he could not quite achieve that, his side were more than deserving of a point following a spirited display against United.
Now with only one defeat in their last eight games, the Clarets have made themselves difficult to beat at a crucial time in the season, and they will hope it pays dividends in their quest for survival.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
