Napoli beat Milan to extend Serie A lead, run win streak to five

Napoli's Romelu Lukaku and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia struck first-half goals to earn a 2-0 win at AC Milan on Tuesday and stretch their side's lead at the top of Serie A to seven points.

The hosts were rocked by Lukaku's fourth goal of the season in the fifth minute before Napoli found a second two minutes before the interval with a stunning strike from Kvaratskhelia and Milan were unable to force their way back into the game.

It was Napoli's fifth successive league victory and Antonio Conte's team are unbeaten in nine games since their only defeat this season on the opening day at Hellas Verona.

Napoli have 25 points and are ahead of champions Inter Milan, who visit Empoli on Wednesday. Milan stay eighth on 14 points.

"Scudetto? No one is hiding. We see realistically what we are doing this year," Conte told DAZN after the match. "After 10 games it has something of the incredible and unexpected, not even the craziest would have predicted it. But we remain with our feet on the ground.

"We know what our goal is, which is to return to Europe. But there are five or six teams that have the same idea. Winning in Naples would be something incredible. We have given ourselves three years. We are rebuilding something and it takes time."

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Milan came into the game the fresher side, after their game on Saturday at Bologna was postponed due to safety concerns over flooding, but it was Napoli who got off to a flying start.

The visitors made the early breakthrough after an Andre Anguissa pass found Lukaku between two defenders and the striker easily brushed aside Strahinja Pavlovic before taking the ball into the area and drilling a low shot into the far bottom corner.

Milan battled hard for an equaliser and in a five minute spell they had three chances, with Yunus Musah and Emerson Royal both putting their efforts wide while Napoli keeper Alex Meret got down to parry away Samuel Chukwueze's shot from a distance.

For all their efforts, Milan found themselves a further goal down at halftime when Kvaratskhelia cut inside from the left and found space before letting fly from outside the area with a beautiful bending shot which went under the dive of Mike Maignan.

Álvaro Morata thought he had pulled one back early in the second half, rising high to send a glancing header past Meret, but the Spanish striker was offside at the time of Chukwueze's cross.

The second half brought less chances, with Napoli content to control their lead and Milan unable to take advantage of any opportunities that did come their way.

Rafael Leão came off the bench and forced Meret into a fingertip save with a powerful strike from inside the area, but Napoli's impressive run continues.

Having conceded three on the opening day, Napoli have since conceded just two goals, and while they laboured of late, struggling to 1-0 wins over Empoli and Lecce, Conte's side are getting the job done and setting the pace in Serie A.