Torino beat Milan to hand leaders Napoli title advantage

Torino pulled off a shock 2-1 win over AC Milan on Sunday which extended Napoli’s Serie A lead to five points in their bid for a first league title in over three decades.

Reigning champions Milan were on a run of four straight league wins but defeat dropped them down to third, six points behind Napoli, after Koffi Djidji and Aleksei Miranchuk netted twice in two first-half minutes to claim the win for Torino.

Stefano Pioli’s side have been overtaken by Atalanta, who are one point ahead of Milan thanks to their 2-0 win at Empoli in Sunday’s early match.

But the weekend’s big winners are Napoli, who kicked off the action on Saturday with another avalanche of goals and look increasingly like a team that could bring the title to Naples for the first time since 1990.

“We weren’t sharp, didn’t bring any real quality, and we weren’t at it during the moments that changed the game. We were poor in both our and the opposition’s areas,” Pioli told DAZN.

Torino had scored just twice at home before this weekend but are up to ninth following their fifth win of the season, a match which nearly boiled completely over after Junior Messias pulled a goal back for the away side midway through the second half.

A dreadful mix-up between goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic and Alessandro Buongiorno — plus what looked like a clear push from Messias — allowed Milan’s Brazilian to clip in his second goal of the season.

Torino coach Ivan Juric was sent off for his furious protests at no foul being given, but he calmed down after his team held out for a big win.

“It’s all over. Now I’m happy,” said Juric before saying he was wrong about Messias’ goal after seeing footage with DAZN’s analysts.

“From my angle at the time it seemed a lot worse… life’s funny like that.”

Salernitana stun Lazio
Without injured Italy striker Ciro Immobile, Lazio looked set to claim their sixth win in seven league matches and provisional second place when Mattia Zaccagni rolled them ahead four minutes before half-time in Rome.

But Salernitana didn’t lose their heads and came away with their first ever win, a 3-1 victory, at the Stadio Olimpico thanks to a beautiful 51st-minute lob from former Lazio man Antonio Candreva and further second half strikes from ex-Roma defender Federico Fazio and Boulaye Dia.

Lazio had not conceded in their previous six Serie A fixtures but defeat left them Maurizio Sarri’s team fourth and eight points behind Napoli.

“I had some great years here at the Olimpico. I feel at home when I come back here, I’m very happy,” said Fazio who left Roma in January after over five years in the capital.

Lazio were further hurt by star man Sergej Milinkovic-Savic being given a soft yellow card after colliding with Dylan Bronn, meaning the Serbia midfielder will now miss next week’s derby with Roma, who can move a point above Lazio and Inter Milan with a win at Verona on Monday.

“If I say what I think about that decision they’ll ban me for six months,” a fuming Sarri later said.

Lookman on form
Ademola Lookman continued his good recent form by netting his fourth goal in five league matches in Atalanta’s comfortable win at Empoli.

Hans Hateboer netted the other in an eighth win in 12 matches for Atalanta, who would have run out even more convincing winners had Teun Koopmeiners’ penalty not been saved by Guglielmo Vicario just before the break.

“He has technique, pace, is a player any coach would be happy with,” coach Gian Piero Gasperini said of Lookman to DAZN.

Empoli sit 13th after their fifth defeat of the season, two points behind Fiorentina who won 2-1 at Spezia thanks to Arthur Cabral’s last-minute winner.

Udinese were on Napoli’s heels earlier in the month but are now 10 points off the pace in eighth following their third draw in their last four matches, 0-0 at bottom team Cremonese.