Napoli surged to the top of the Serie A table with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Fiorentina on Saturday. The visitors faced little resistance as they secured their fourth consecutive league win. With Napoli’s closest title rivals, Atalanta and Inter Milan, absent due to their participation in the Italian Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, Antonio Conte’s men seized the opportunity to establish a commanding lead.

Napoli now sit on 44 points, three ahead of Atalanta, who have a game in hand, while Inter trail by a further point but have played two fewer matches. Meanwhile, Fiorentina slipped to sixth place with 32 points.

Napoli thought they had taken the lead early in the match when Mathias Olivera found the back of the net, but the goal was disallowed for offside. Fiorentina’s Leonardo Spinazzola tested Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret, but the visitors soon gained control.

In the 29th minute, David Neres opened the scoring with a stunning solo effort. The Brazilian weaved past three defenders before unleashing a powerful strike into the top corner, leaving David de Gea helpless. Fiorentina thought they had equalised through Moise Kean, but his goal was ruled out for a handball during the build-up, and Napoli carried their advantage into half-time.

Fiorentina manager Raffaele Palladino handed a Serie A debut to defender Matias Moreno, but the youngster’s inexperience showed when he fouled André-Frank Zambo Anguissa in the penalty area. Romelu Lukaku, who missed a penalty in Napoli’s previous match, made no mistake this time, sending De Gea the wrong way with a composed strike down the middle in the 54th minute to double Napoli’s lead.

The home side had a brief spell of pressure, with Alex Meret denying Rolando Mandragora and Amir Rrahmani blocking Lucas Beltrán’s follow-up attempt. However, another defensive lapse proved costly for Fiorentina. In the 68th minute, Pietro Comuzzo’s poor clearance from an Anguissa cross fell to Scott McTominay, who calmly slotted home his fourth league goal of the season, sealing Napoli’s dominant victory.

Fiorentina, who had previously enjoyed an eight-match winning streak in Serie A, have now gone four games without a win. Napoli’s victory not only highlighted their attacking prowess but also showcased their league-best defensive record, leaving Fiorentina unable to break through.

Napoli’s win puts them in a strong position in the title race, with Conte’s side demonstrating their intent to claim the Scudetto this season.