Napoli 2-1 AC Milan: 5 Talking Points

Napoli returned to winning ways in the Serie A by beating AC Milan 2-1 at the Stadio San Paolo and extended their lead at the top to four points over defending champions Juventus, who are scheduled to play Sampdoria later today.

Maurizio Sarri's men displayed yet another impressive performance on the night and have underlined their credentials as genuine contenders for the title this season.

Lorenzo Insigne put the hosts ahead in the 33rd minute with a little help from the video assistant referee after his goal was initially disallowed for offside but the decision was overturned after further consultation.

Milan showed a bit of resistance in the second half, but the outcome of the game was determined when Piotr Zielinski came off the bench and got on the end of a defence-splitting pass from Dries Mertens to make it 2-0 in the 72nd minute.

Alessio Romagnoli planted a thunderous left-footed strike from outside the area to pull one back for the Rossoneri in stoppage time but it was too late to kick-start a comeback. Milan are struggling at the moment and are currently 11 points away from their desired UEFA Champions League qualification spot.

Here, we take a look at the 5 main talking points from the game:

#5 Plenty to ponder for Vincenzo Montella

Despite spending about £200 million in the summer on new recruitments, project Milan has looked rather abysmal under head coach Vincenzo Montella. The Serie A giants are currently 16 points away from league leaders Napoli and their recent loss means that they have lost all their games against teams above them in the table including rivals Inter.

A few of his decisions regarding team selection were questionable especially when he started Nikola Kalinic, who disappointed on the night, ahead of Andre Silva who was relatively better off when he came on towards the end of the first half.

Even though Napoli were ridiculously good in the first half, Montella's side lacked any real intent and were always chasing the game.

Things need to change quickly for Milan if they are to regain their status domestically as well as in Europe.

#4 Napoli's high pressing earning the plaudits

Napoli's forwards were at it from the word go

Pep Guardiola commented on Napoli after their UEFA Champions League meeting with Manchester City by admitting that they were one of the best teams he has faced this season.

The Ciucciarelli lived up to the statement by stamping their authority in the game through high pressing up the pitch and some silky movement paving the way for free-flowing football in the first half.

The trio of Insigne, Mertens and Jose Callejon worked tirelessly in the final third and forced Milan to the back foot on various occasions and took advantage of the first time they tried to play a high-line when Insigne slipped behind the defenders to slot home the opener.

Despite the absence of any world-class name in their forward line, Napoli are earning the plaudits through their determination and impressive work rate in the opponent's half.

#3 Milan were toothless in attack

Kalinic and Andre Silva failed to leave a mark on the game

A disappointing night for the men leading the line for the Rossoneri as they did not manage a single touch inside Napoli's penalty area in the first half. Kalidou Koulibaly and Raul Albiol were hardly under pressure as Milan failed to make things happen in the final third of the pitch.

In spite of enjoying a majority of the possession and putting together a string of moves in the beginning of the second half, Montella's side failed to come up with the perfect final ball and it was hard to see where the goals would come from on the night.

Despite finding the back of the net on four occasions in the Europa league, Andre Silva is yet to score a league goal for Milan following his move from Porto in the summer. Kalinic, on the other hand, has managed just 3 goals so far this season.

An injury to Suso, their significant contributor in attack, in the first half, could have serious implications on the rest of their season.

#2 Marek Hamsik will have to wait for 'the goal'

Hamsik was yet again instrumental in midfield for Napoli

Marek Hamsik was yet again pivotal for Napoli alongside Jorginho on the night and played a key role in every time they moved forward. The Slovakian found pockets of space inside the opponent's half repeatedly and dominated the midfield in the first half.

He is currently the club's second highest goal-scorer (114 goals) in all competitions, behind Diego Maradona and could have equaled the Argentine's record (115 goals) if he had managed to get on the scoresheet tonight, but the club captain will have to wait before eventually taking over as one of Napoli's greatest ever.

Hamsik, one of the longest-serving players in the squad at the moment, is already a cult hero at Naples and this feat will be yet another feather to his already decorated cap.

#1 Insigne proves his worth yet again

After being left out of Italy's crucial World Cup qualification play-off loss against Sweden in midweek, Lorenzo Insigne had a point to prove when he stepped out to play for his club in the weekend.

The forward spent 90 minutes on the bench as the four-time World Cup winners failed to overturn a 1-0 loss suffered at Stockholm in the first leg resulting in them not reaching the finals for the first time since 1958.

Insigne's performance on the night will only add to the misery of the Italians as they would feel that maybe he could have helped them given the form he is in right now. Napoli reaped the benefits of their fully fresh talisman as he combined well with teammate (for both club and country), Jorginho, to give them the lead.

Edited by Aakanksh Sanketh