Napoli moved closer to relinquishing their Serie A title hopes after a 2-0 home defeat to Lazio, who became the first visiting side to win at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in the league this season.

With Inter Milan having already beaten Cagliari Calcio the previous night, Antonio Conte’s side knew only a victory would realistically keep their fading Scudetto hopes alive. However, a sluggish start immediately put them on the back foot.

Lazio looked dangerous down the left side in the opening minutes and repeatedly threatened before Napoli failed to react to the warning signs. The breakthrough came when Mattia Zaccagni found space to release the overlapping run of Kenneth Taylor, who squared the ball for Matteo Cancellieri to finish from close range.

Napoli still had reason for belief, having collected a league-high 13 points from losing positions this season, but despite sustained pressure they were unable to seriously test Edoardo Motta, going into half-time without a single shot on target.

The hosts could easily have been further behind were it not for the outstanding performance of Vanja Milinković-Savić, who made key saves to deny Matteo Cancellieri and Nuno Tavares, as well as stopping a penalty from Mattia Zaccagni.

The spot-kick was awarded after Stanislav Lobotka brought down Tijjani Noslin following a breakaway, but Zaccagni — still without a goal in 2026 — saw his weak effort comfortably saved by the Napoli goalkeeper.

Despite making two changes at half-time, Napoli’s problems persisted after the restart. Kenneth Taylor drove through the centre of the defence and narrowly missed the target, but Lazio soon extended their lead before the hour mark.

Noslin once again caused problems down the left, setting up Cancellieri, who missed a gilt-edged chance with an open goal. However, the loose ball fell kindly to Toma Bašić, who made no mistake in converting to seal Lazio’s second.

In response, the lively Alisson Santos forced Edoardo Motta into his first real save of the evening with a powerful effort at the near post, before Nuno Tavares missed a golden opportunity to put the game beyond reach, firing off target from a cutback by Tijjani Noslin.

In truth, Napoli never looked capable of staging a comeback, and their failure to complete a first league double over Lazio since the 2021/22 season effectively hands control of the Serie A title race to Inter Milan.

For Lazio, the result marks just their second win in seven away league matches, but it was enough to lift Maurizio Sarri’s side back up to ninth place in the table.