🇮🇹 Top two allow Milan to take pole and Juve are nearing their best | OneFootball

The Serie A weekend was billed as a potentially decisive one for both the title race and top four battle. It did not disappoint.

Top two Inter and Napoli met at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona and fourth battled fifth in Bergamo, where Juventus visited Atalanta.

By the time the dust settled, it was Milan (sandwiched between them all in third) who made the most of the enthralling stalemate in Naples, while Juve played their get out of jail free card in a big way.

Let’s start with the Saturday night showdown between the top two, who were separated by a single point prior to kick-off.

Napoli, who were chasing top spot, went ahead when a VAR check determined that Stefan de Vrij had clumsily stamped on Victor Osimhen’s foot in the area and Lorenzo Insigne did what he does best from the spot.

They were good value for that lead and come half-time, it seemed that those who have pointed fingers at Simone Inzaghi for his tactics and inability to win the crunch fixtures this season may have been justified.

Prior to Saturday, they had faced the rest of the top five six times this season but managed just one win. Even that victory, against Napoli in November, wasn’t without controversy.

It may have been a little harsh to solely point the finger of blame for the first half at Napoli on Inzaghi though, as he was serving a touchline suspension, meaning fiery assistant Massimiliano Farris deputised.

Whatever was said at the break had the desired effect as Edin Džeko blasted in via the underside of the bar shortly after the restart, forcing Napoli back into their shell to hold on for a point.

“The point is fine but we created enough to win,” Farris told DAZN afterwards before making it extra clear that this side aren’t afraid of the big occasion. “Their tactical change to five at the back [after the equaliser] was a sign of retreat, while we still had plenty left in the tank.

“We played a derby game and Coppa Italia recently and they had all week to prepare for us so we did well to get back into it.”

On Sunday, Milan made the most of that stalemate as a lone Rafael Leão goal fired them to the top of the table. It’s a position they’ve been in before and the pressure will be on to avoid another second half collapse this season.

Meanwhile, Juventus and Atalanta are locked in a tussle of their own, with the final Champions League spot likely to come down to a shootout between them. La Dea almost took a huge step towards securing it.

Ruslan Malinovskyi’s stunning late thunderbolt looked to have won it for the hosts. He cheekily asked on social media afterwards what the xG for his latest wonder goal was. The response was 0.02 but we’re not having that: the Ukrainian needs to be measured on a different scale, with 30-yard rockets now as customary for him as penalty box tap-ins for most.

Defeat would have been harsh on Juve, who rescued a priceless point with a thumping 92nd minute header from Danilo.

Dušan Vlahović was denied twice by superb saves from stand-in goalkeeper Marco Sportiello, while Paulo Dybala also went close twice for the Bianconeri, who are ominously starting to look more like their old selves with each passing week.

They may not be unbeatable anymore but they are certainly hard to beat again.

And elsewhere

😱 Goal of the Weekend

🥇 Player of the Weekend

It is a joy to see Mattia Zaccagni looking like he’s getting back to the form that he showed at Verona which earned him his big move to the Eternal City.