Inter Milan kept in touch with Napoli after seeing off struggling Empoli 3-1 on Sunday and going three points behind the Serie A leaders. Goals in the second half from Lautaro Martinez, Denzel Dumfries and Marcus Thuram ensured a hard-fought win for champions Inter at the San Siro. Napoli have become the team to beat thanks to their thrilling 3-2 win at Atalanta, who are seven points off the pace in third, on Saturday but Inter also have a game in hand.

However Inter have a packed schedule due to their Champions League commitments while Napoli have no European football after their disastrous title defence last season.

As well as their final two league phase fixtures in the Champions League — against Sparta Prague and Monaco in consecutive weeks — Simone Inzaghi’s team have the Milan derby and trips to Juventus, Napoli and Atalanta between now and mid-March.

Captain Martinez’s distance effort in the 55th minute took his league total to eight goals from 18 appearances, some way off the 24 he racked up on the way to guiding Inter to their 20th league title last term.

The Argentina striker hadn’t scored at home since early November before Wednesday’s 2-2 draw with Bologna but his goal against Empoli was his second in as many matches at the San Siro.

Dumfries’ thumping header, from Kristjan Asllani’s 79th-minute corner, was key as Inter were far from their best and once Inter loanee Sebastiano Esposito halved the deficit for 14th-placed Empoli in the 79th minute a wave of worry swept the stadium.

Fans breathed a collective sign of relief 10 minutes later when Thuram swept in his 13th league goal of the campaign to seal the points and keep Inter’s title defence rolling on.

Lazio stay fourth

Earlier Lazio stayed in Serie A’s Champions League places after thumping struggling Verona 3-0.

Marco Baroni’s Lazio went ahead with just a minute on the clock through Samuel Gigot in Verona, and further strikes from Boulaye Dia and captain Mattia Zaccagni put them fourth, two points above Juventus who beat AC Milan on Saturday.

Sunday’s success ended a three-match winless streak for Lazio, which included derby defeat to rivals Roma, and left Verona in the relegation zone.

Verona slumped to their 14th defeat in 21 league fixtures in front of new chairman Italo Zanzi following the club’s acquisition by American private equity firm Presidio Investors on Wednesday.

The new owners have a job on their hands at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi as Verona are deep in the fight against the drop, sitting in 18th place and separated by goal difference from Como who are just outside the bottom three and host Udinese on Monday.

Verona are in the drop zone due to Cagliari’s 4-1 thumping of fellow strugglers Lecce which moved the Sardinian outfit up to 13th.

Just two points separate Cagliari and Verona, with Lecce, Parma — who drew 1-1 with second-from-bottom Venezia — and Empoli all on 20 points.

Verona, who finished the match with 10 men following Ondrej Duda‘s late sending off, make the short trip to regional rivals Venezia next week.

Napoli will stay top of Serie A for at least another week after winning 1-0 at bogey team Empoli on Sunday and moving three points clear of Juventus. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia struck the only goal of the game, and his fourth of the season, from the penalty spot in the 63rd minute to give Napoli their fourth straight win in all competitions. Sunday’s hard-fought victory means that Napoli cannot be overtaken this weekend, although Inter Milan can move back to within two points of Antonio Conte’s team with a win at troubled Roma in the day’s late game.

“We’re trying to create a solid base from which we can become a team with serious ambitions,” said Conte to DAZN.

“Every win should be celebrated because they’re hard won. We just need to keep doing what we’re doing.

“We’re trying to build something here, something that isn’t just a flash in the pan but lasts long-term.”

Empoli beat Napoli home and away last season and their victory in Naples last November cost Rudi Garcia his job as coach, as a disastrous league title defence ended with southern Italy’s biggest club in 10th.

And the hosts were the better team for large portions of the match, with Kvaratskhelia’s winning spot-kick Napoli’s only shot on target in front of thousands of enthusiastic travelling supporters.

“I don’t know if it’s our history here but I wasn’t happy with how we played in the first half. If they had scored we couldn’t have said anything,” said Conte.

Napoli don’t have European football as a result of their collapse following a first Scudetto since 1990 and the days of Diego Maradona.

And under Conte they have quickly re-established themselves as title challengers, with the advantage of not having the expanded Champions League jamming up their schedule.

Kvaratskhelia is key to Conte’s plans but the Georgia winger is yet to sign a contract extension, with his current deal expiring in 2027.

Italian media report that Kvaratskhelia is aiming for eight million euros ($8.7 million) a season, significantly more than Napoli are willing to offer the breakout star of their historic 2023 title triumph.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia starred as Napoli got their first win under Antonio Conte on Sunday by beating Bologna 3-0, while Roma slumped to a shock 2-1 home defeat to Empoli. Georgia star Kvaratskhelia celebrated becoming a dad on Wednesday by netting Napoli’s second with 15 minutes remaining in an absorbing contest at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. But while his deflected strike ensured Napoli of the three points and redemption after last weekend’s humbling at Verona, Kvaratskhelia’s real touch of class came in stoppage time at the end of the first half.

The 23-year-old, who also hit the crossbar, clipped a delightful pass over the Bologna defence for the onrushing Giovanni Di Lorenzo, who lashed home the opening goal and unleashed joy both in the stands and on the touchline.

“I think you saw it on the pitch, the energy, and I did everything for the team,” said Kvaratskhelia to DAZN.

“This week was for me so important, I’m so happy that I also came here and won with the team. I’m so happy.”

Napoli captain Di Lorenzo was heavily criticised after his dire performances at Euro 2024, where Italy were dumped out as reigning champions in the quarter-finals by Switzerland.

But his goal helped Napoli beat an enterprising Bologna team who should have more than the one point that they have collected from their first two matches.

“These fans show me a lot of love and I try to pay that back every time I step out onto the pitch,” said Di Lorenzo.

Substitute Giovanni Simeone made it a brilliant home debut for Conte when he forced home new signing David Neres’ low cross deep in added time.

Roma crumble

Also on one point are Roma who lost to Empoli at home for the first time in their history after a hugely disappointing display in which Paulo Dybala staying in the Italian capital wasn’t enough to inspire Daniele De Rossi‘s side.

Emmanuel Gyasi’s tap-in on the stroke of half-time and a Lorenzo Colombo penalty in the 61st minute sank Roma, who pulled one back through Eldor Shomurodov with 10 minutes remaining but couldn’t complete a comeback.

Dybala, whose move to Saudi Arabian outfit Al Qadsiah collapsed on Thursday, was one of three Roma players to hit the woodwork alongside Lorenzo Pellegrini and Gianluca Mancini.

But Roma were booed off the pitch for the way they fell two goals behind against a team which is expected to struggle against relegation.

“We were lacking energy and intensity… We played well in the second half but it wasn’t enough, and if you don’t play well in the first half things aren’t going to well for you,” said De Rossi to Sky Sport.

De Rossi doesn’t have long to get his team’s spirits up as Roma travel to Juventus, who face Verona on Monday, next weekend.

Adams emulates Law

Earlier, Che Adams emulated Denis Law with the decisive goal in Torino’s 2-1 win over Atalanta on Sunday, delighting fans who had called for the owner to sell in mass pre-match protests.

Scotland striker Adams netted his first goal for Torino since signing as a free agent last month, tapping home the hosts’ second four minutes after half-time.

The 28-year-old became the first of his countrymen to score for Torino since Scotland and Manchester United legend Law in the 1961/62 season.

Adams rolling in the winner after Duvan Zapata‘s low shot was saved made it a perfect home debut in which he also set up Ivan Ilic’s delightful dinked equaliser in the 31st minute.

His strike, and Vanja Milinkovic-Savic saving Mario Pasalic’s penalty deep in stoppage time, put Torino on four points from their first two matches.

The win came after thousands of fans marched to the game together to demand that owner and media magnate Urbano Cairo sell the club after 19 largely drab years at the helm.

Fiorentina were held to a goalless draw by Venezia in the day’s other early kick-off. 

Serie A: Empoli defeated Napoli 1-0© X (Twitter)