SSC Napoli is currently at the top of the Serie A table with 71 points.
Rafael Leao of AC Milan scored twice to help his team defeat Serie A leaders SSC Napoli 4-0 on the road on Sunday, lifting Stefano Pioli’s team up to third place.
With 51 points, Milan is one point ahead of Inter Milan in fourth place and four points behind Lazio in second. At the top, Napoli leads by 20 points.
After 17 minutes, Leao took a touch and skillfully chipped the ball over Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret after Brahim Diaz had sent a through ball to him.
Eight minutes later, Diaz doubled the advantage when he received a cross inside the box, threw a dummy that left Napoli defender Mario Rui helpless, and the ball deflected into the goal.
Leao ran into the box, twisted and turned past three Napoli defenders, and lashed his shot into the goal to effectively end the game for Milan 14 minutes into the second half.
After 67 minutes, Alexis Saelemaekers added a fourth goal with a solo effort in which he outran four defenders and put the ball between Meret’s legs.
In the meantime, AS Roma defeated Sampdoria 3-0 on Sunday at the Stadio Olimpico in rainy conditions to move into fourth place in Serie A. Goals from Georginio Wijnaldum, Paulo Dybala, and Stephan El Shaarawy came in the second half.
SSC Napoli streak broken by Milan in Home
In the 150th meeting between the Italian giants, AC Milan defeated league leaders Napoli 4-0 with two goals in each half, shocking the champion-elect.
Napoli’s star striker Victor Osimhen was not present. That made the outcome worse for the hosts in their own ground.
In the early going, there wasn’t much separating the teams until Rafael Leao broke the tie in the 17th minute with a deft chip over Alex Meret following a precise through-ball from Brahim Diaz.
Eight minutes later, things only got worse for Napoli and their adoring fans. After establishing the first goal, Diaz increased The Rossoneri’s lead with a calm close-range finish following some excellent build-up play.
Leao scored Milan’s third goal in the 59th minute by gliding past Giovanni Di Lorenzo and shooting past Meret from a tight angle.
The hosts started the second half on the front foot but were caught on the break.
Then, in the 67th minute, Alexis Saelemaekers scored an incredible solo goal to seal the three points and cap off an outstanding performance.
The outcome moves Milan up to third place in the standings, while Napoli’s third loss of the year keeps them 16 points ahead of Lazio as they pursue the championship.
Before the two teams resume their battle in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal, Napoli will travel to Lecce and Milan will host Empoli.