Napoli Extend Serie A Lead to Three Points After Hard-Fought Win at Lecce

Andre-Frank Anguissa’s second-half header secured a narrow victory for Napoli at Lecce, extending their lead at the top of Serie A to three points over AC Milan and Roma.

Napoli strengthened their grip on the Serie A summit with a 1-0 win away to Lecce on Tuesday evening. The reigning champions, who edged past Inter Milan in a fiery encounter at the weekend, continued their momentum thanks to a decisive 69th-minute header from Andre-Frank Anguissa.

The result moved Antonio Conte’s side onto 21 points from nine league fixtures — three ahead of AC Milan and Roma, with the latter set to host Parma on Wednesday evening. Milan remain a point further back in third after being held to a 1-1 draw by Atalanta.

Conte Praises Team Resilience

“These matches are never easy, especially after a big game against Inter, where we expended a huge amount of physical and mental energy,” Conte said post-match.

Anguissa’s fourth goal of the season — following his stunning solo strike against Inter — gave Napoli a second victory in just a few days, steadying their campaign after a difficult spell of form.

However, the visitors had their goalkeeper Vanja Milinković-Savić to thank for preserving all three points. The Serbian shot-stopper produced a vital save from Francesco Camarda’s penalty 11 minutes into the second half, diving low to his right to keep Lecce at bay.

Injury Setbacks for Conte

The match marked Conte’s 250th in Serie A as a manager, though the milestone came amid mounting injury concerns.

Team manager Gabriele Oriali confirmed that Kevin De Bruyne will be sidelined for at least three months with a hamstring injury sustained while scoring against Inter. The Belgian playmaker’s absence represents a significant blow for Napoli’s title defence.

Conte will also lose Anguissa to international duty during the Africa Cup of Nations, while a host of other key players — including Amir Rrahmani and Stanislav Lobotka — have already missed portions of the season through injury.

“Let’s not forget that since the start of the season we’ve had to make a virtue of necessity,” Conte said. “We’ve lost so many important players to injury, but no one seems to be talking about it.”

Milinković-Savić has stepped up in place of Alex Meret, who suffered a fractured foot earlier this month, while Romelu Lukaku has yet to feature in Napoli’s title defence.

Napoli Focus on Upcoming Fixtures

Conte rotated his squad carefully, with Rrahmani and Rasmus Højlund both starting on the bench — a positive sign ahead of a demanding run of fixtures that includes league meetings with Como and Bologna, and a crucial Champions League clash with Eintracht Frankfurt next Tuesday.

Lecce, meanwhile, remain 16th on six points — just two above the relegation zone — after suffering their fifth defeat of the campaign under Eusebio Di Francesco.

Elsewhere in Serie A

In Bergamo, Ademola Lookman scored his first goal for Atalanta since being reinstated by manager Ivan Jurić following a failed summer move to Inter Milan.

The Nigerian international equalised in the 35th minute, cancelling out Samuele Ricci’s early, deflected half-volley — the midfielder’s first goal for Milan.

Milan, now level on 18 points with second-placed Roma after recording their third draw in four games, were indebted to goalkeeper Mike Maignan, who produced a superb late save to deny Davide Zappacosta from distance.

Massimiliano Allegri’s Juventus will host Roma on Sunday night in another pivotal fixture at the top of the table.

Atalanta, though still unbeaten, have drawn their last five league matches and now sit eighth in the standings — eight points adrift of leaders Napoli.