Napoli were held to a second successive Serie A draw following a 1-1 stalemate with Udinese at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Sunday, missing the opportunity to extend their lead at the top of the table to six points.
Antonio Conte’s men have now drawn back-to-back league games, offering second-placed Inter Milan a chance to close the gap when they take on Fiorentina on Monday.
The first half saw plenty of action, with visiting midfielder Florian Thauvin testing Alex Meret early on, forcing the Napoli goalkeeper to push his effort away from danger.
Napoli quickly responded with chances of their own, as Scott McTominay and Matteo Politano came close to breaking the deadlock.
The breakthrough eventually arrived in the 37th minute when McTominay rose highest to meet Politano’s corner, powering a header past Razvan Sava to give the hosts the lead.
However, Napoli’s advantage was short-lived. Just three minutes later, Jurgen Ekkelenkamp capitalized on a loose clearance from Pasquale Mazzocchi, drilling a low shot into the bottom left corner to bring Udinese level.
The second half was a quieter affair, with both sides struggling to create clear-cut chances.
David Neres and Sandi Lovric registered the only efforts on target after the break, but neither could find a winner.
Napoli’s tally of 55 points after 24 matches is among their best returns in the three-point-per-win era, having previously recorded more only in the 2015-16 (56 points), 2017-18 (63 points), and 2022-23 (65 points) campaigns.
Back-to-back draws have caused a slight stumble in Napoli’s title race. Should they fall short of the Scudetto, this match may be viewed as a key opportunity missed.
Conte’s men dominated the game, posting an expected goals (xG) of 1.45 from 18 attempts, though only four of those efforts hit the target.
One bright spot was McTominay’s impressive performance. The former Manchester United midfielder continues to thrive in Naples, having contributed to eight league goals this season (six goals and two assists), equalling his best-ever tally of seven at Manchester United in the 2023-24 campaign.
Udinese, on the other hand, ended their 10-game losing streak at Napoli in Serie A, avoiding defeat in Naples for the first time since December 2013.
