A wild night in Serie A ft. Napoli’s win vs Milan, Jose Mourinho
If there were any indicators as to whether or not Napoli are the real deal this season, going away to the Serie A champions and ending their 22-match unbeaten streak to go joint-top of the league will surely do it. Luciano Spalletti, watching from the stands after being sent off against Spezia last week, sent out an energetic and compact side that trumped the champions 2-1 in an enthralling encounter at the San Siro.
Napoli lost huge personalities in the dressing room in Kalidou Koulibaly, Lorenzo Insigne, and Dries Mertens this year, but their crop of new talent performed on the big stage. Early in the second half promising winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia went down to a Sergino Dest challenge that looked clean in real time, but VAR rightly overturned it to hand Napoli a penalty which was slotted home Matteo Politano.
CHE VITTORIA!! FORZA NAPOLI!!💙💙💙💙💙⚽️💪🏼 #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/9V05mC11SC
— Giovanni Simeone (@simeonegiovanni) September 18, 2022
Milan’s response was solid as Olivier Giroud, the Rossoneri’s best player on the day who stepped up in the absence of Rafael Leao, latched onto a Theo Hernandez cross to equalise shortly after. The game’s rhythm went from end to end after that, with substitute Giovanni Simeone scoring a 78th-minute header from a brilliant Mario Rui cross to give Napoli the lead.
Spalletti’s side were in control for much of the match after taking the lead, but Milan had their chances, with Pierre Kalulu even hitting the bar in the dying stages of the match, but Napoli emerged with three points from the San Siro for a third consecutive year.
Mourinho antics overshadow resolute Atalanta performance
Atalanta kept their place at the top of the table on Sunday after defeating Jose Mourinho’s Roma 1-0 away from home. The only goal of the game was scored teenager Giorgio Scalvini but much of the headlines will be taken the Roma boss’s antics in the second half.
Never change, Jose Mourinho pic.twitter.com/mGeZLUl49i
— Has the Referee or VAR made a poor decision? (@PoorEPLreferees) September 18, 2022
Incensed referee Daniele Chifi failing to award Nicolo Zaniolo a penalty, he charged onto the field, got sent off, and later came out in the press to say that he must encourage his players to dive in order to win penalties in the Serie A. A hefty fine, suspension, and plenty of headlines will follow.
Roma had the lion’s share of possession and chances, but only after Atalanta took the lead, whose resolute five-man defence did the job
Pressure piles on Allegri after shock Monza defeat
Monza recorded the first Serie A win in the club’s hory with a surprising yet fully deserved 1-0 win at home to Juventus. The Bianconeri went down to 10 men after Angel Di Maria was sent off shortly before half time, following which they were thoroughly outplayed for most of the second half. Monza’s efforts paid off after substitute Chrian Gytkjaer latched onto a cutback to slide the ball home and get a famous win.
VITTORIAAAAAAAA 🔥⚪️🔴#ACMonza #Monza #MonzaJuventus #SerieATIM pic.twitter.com/1zAJXY8xX9
— AC Monza (@ACMonza) September 18, 2022
Big questions will invariably be asked of Juventus’ form and manager Max Allegri now. The Old Lady have won just two games out of seven in Serie A and lost both Champions League matches. Despite missing many players to injury, Allegri’s tactics have been woefully conservative recently, and his resance to play some of the promising young players in his team has caused fans to become uneasy.
The club may be backing him for now, but Allegri, in the second season of his second spell at Juventus, is under massive pressure to turn this around following the international break.
