'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Napoli dealt Juventus another huge blow to their title defence after a 1-0 win over the reigning Serie A champions.
Lorenzo Insigne scored a first-half penalty as the Bianconeri succumbed to their third league defeat of the campaign. After Giorgio Chiellini was penalised for a foul on Amir Rrahmani, Insigne converted the penalty with aplomb, giving Wojciech Szczesny no chance.
The visitors fought hard after the break to restore parity, but Gennaro Gattuso's side stood firm and weathered the storm.
Trending
With the win, Napoli moved back into the Champions League places, whereas Juventus are now seven points behind leaders AC Milan, who have a game in hand.
On that note, here are the five hits and flops from game at the Stadio San Paolo:
Flop: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
It was not the best night for Juventus' prolific No. 7, as Cristiano Ronaldo failed to breach a determined Napoli rearguard.
The likes of Alex Sandro and Danilo looked to find Ronaldo inside the box with crosses and even made a few defence-splitting passes, but they were mostly off-target.
The Portuguese also had chances from set-pieces, standing over two free-kicks, but squandered both of them.
Ronaldo's pressing was strong, as he made several inroads through the heart of Napoli's defence, but a goal was not to be for the Juventus superstar on the night.
Hit: Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli)
For the second time in as many years, Lorenzo Insigne condemned mighty Juventus to a defeat.
The Italian striker was on target in Napoli's 2-1 win over the Bianconeri at home last year; he netted in the 86th minute to seal all three points. He was the difference-maker once again a year later, this time from 12 yards.
Giorgio Chiellini's foul on Amir Rrahmani gave the Partenopei the chance to go ahead. Insigne stepped up and made no mistake from the spot, thumping home a strong effort into the top-right corner.
It was only his fourth goal against the Bianconeri in 18 games, but arguably one of the most important ones, as it propelled his side up to fourth in the league standings.
Hit: Alex Meret (Napoli)
If you haven't seen Alex Meret play before, then you might as well hereafter, for the 23-year old is a star in the making.
Against Juventus, he produced arguably the best display of his relatively short career, making several good saves to frustrate Juventus.
The Italian thwarted Ronaldo on four occasions, once doing so from point-blank range.
However, his most important piece of action came towards the end when Meret stuck his leg out to deny Morata from barely six-yards.
Even in set-piece situations, the former SPAL goalkeeper showed excellent awareness and never shied away from charging out of his line to punch the ball clear.
He deservedly took home the 'Man of the Match' award for an exceptional display between the sticks; Meret might just have convinced Gattusso to start him more regularly going forward.
Hit: Gennaro Gattuso (Napoli)
Gennaro Gattuso has done a fine job at Napoli since taking over from Carlo Ancelotti in December 2019; the Partenopei have reached two finals, won one and picked up several big results in the league.
Although he'd have preferred a victory in the Super Cup clash against Juventus earlier this month, the triumph in the Serie A was nothing short of spectacular.
Reports of Gattuso running out of time to save his Napoli job have been doing the rounds lately due to Napoli's unsatisfactory results as well as their Coppa Italia exit to Atalanta recently.
However, the former AC Milan legend responded in resounding fashion, leading his side to a narrow yet significant victory. The Sky Blues showed great character and heart in the face of Juventus' onslaught.
Even though he is still walking a tight rope, the fact that his team are back in the league's top-four positions should cut him some slack for now.
Flop: The Rodrigo Bentancur-Adrien Rabiot midfield combination (Juventus)
For far too long now, Juventus have had to depend on their wing-backs for creativity, as the midfielders have offered none.
The game against Napoli was yet another reminder of the same; the biggest problem in the centre of the park for Juventus was the underwhelming performances of Rodrigo Bentancur and Adrien Rabiot.
Neither of the players has consistently impressed this season, showing only flashes of brilliance here and there.
Their passes were mostly sideways or backwards as the duo struggled to make incisive through-balls.
That put additional pressure on the Juventus full-backs to carry the ball forward, abandoning their defensive duties and focusing more on feeding the attackers.
Bentancur and Rabiot are good players, as they've shown in the past. But they lack consistency and do not help their team much going forward. Juventus need someone to provide that spark in midfield which can help break down teams.
