SSC Napoli maintained their status as the only unbeaten home side in Serie A with a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Torino FC at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, thanks to goals from Alisson Santos and Eljif Elmas.

Napoli made a fast start, with Torino goalkeeper Alberto Paleari quickly thrust into the spotlight. He produced a superb close-range save to deny Mathías Olivera after the visitors failed to clear a corner, but moments later he was left red-faced.

Alisson struck a low effort from the edge of the box that appeared routine, yet the skidding shot slipped through Paleari at the near post, handing the Brazilian his second goal since arriving on loan from Sporting CP in January.

Torino attempted to respond but struggled to create clear chances. Napoli goalkeeper Vanja Milinković-Savić had to react sharply to prevent Nikola Vlašić from converting a close-range opportunity, before the Croatian midfielder tried his luck from distance.

Despite spending much of the half under pressure, Torino manager Roberto D’Aversa could take some encouragement from trailing by just one goal at the break. Napoli pushed hard for a second before half-time, with Rasmus Højlund coming closest, but the striker headed narrowly over.

Napoli continued their dominance after the interval, and Paleari partially redeemed his earlier mistake with two strong saves to deny Alisson from long range. He was also equal to Højlund’s powerful effort after the Danish forward used his strength to spin his marker inside the area.

The Torino defence held firm for a time, with a defender clearing Alessandro Buongiorno’s effort off the line in the 66th minute. However, the pressure finally told two minutes later when Elmas found the net against his former club, having spent last season on loan in Turin.

There was further good news for Napoli boss Antonio Conte as Kevin De Bruyne made his long-awaited return from injury, replacing the impressive Alisson for the closing stages after being sidelined since October.

Torino did manage to make the finish tense when Cesare Casadei pulled a goal back late on. The visitors nearly snatched a dramatic equaliser, but Che Adams was unable to control the ball at a crucial moment inside the area.

The victory moves Napoli five points clear of fourth-placed AS Roma—albeit having played one game more—while Torino remain 14th in the table, six points above the relegation zone and still searching for back-to-back league wins since Christmas Day.