Napoli Player Ratings vs Fiorentina: Lukaku Can’t Be Stopped | OneFootball

Napoli maintained pressure on Serie A pacesetters Inter with a dramatic 2-1 home victory against European hopefuls Fiorentina. As expected, it wasn’t plain sailing, even though Antonio Conte’s side dominated proceedings from top to bottom.

The Partenopei flew out of the traps, creating several promising chances, but couldn’t convert before Romelu Lukaku fired them in front midway through the first half. The Belgian striker latched onto a fortunate rebound to slot the ball into an empty net and give Napoli a well-deserved halftime lead.

After finding the net for the 10th time in Serie A this term, Lukaku completed his 12th season in Europe’s top-five leagues in which he hit double digits. Furthermore, he went from scoring to assisting, setting Giacomo Raspadori up on a silver platter. The diminutive forward made it 2-0 at the hour mark.

However, Fiorentina replied only six minutes later through Albert Gudmundsson. Despite losing momentum down the final stretch, Napoli preserved their lead to restore a one-point deficit on Inter. Without further ado, let’s look at our player ratings.

Napoli (3-5-2)

Alex Meret – 5.5

Though Gudmundsson beat him from distance, he had no chance to stop that shot and only had to make one save otherwise.

Alessandro Buongiorno – 6.5

Despite picking up a yellow for a rough challenge early in the second half, the towering center-back enjoyed a near-flawless game.

Amir Rrahmani – 7

After several shaky performances, the Kosovo international excelled today, making light work of one of the divisions’ most lethal forwards, Moise Kean.

Giovanni Di Lorenzo – 7

Equally active on both ends of the field, the Napoli captain reigned supreme as a makeshift central defender and often ventured forward when he had space.

Leonardo Spinazzola – 6.5

The skilled wingback went from strength to strength in the early exchanges, making several darting runs down the flank. However, his crossing ability frequently let him down.

Billy Gilmour – 6.5

His passes were clean and precise, plus he never backed down from a challenge, constantly trying to be involved in the build-up.

Stanislav Lobotka – 7

The Slovakian playmaker delivered an absolute masterclass in the middle of the park, pulling all the strings with pinpoint passing and unparalleled composure on the ball.

Scott McTominay – 6

His burst of energy kept the Napoli midfield ticking over toward the end, but the Scottish star didn’t have a meaningful touch in the final third.

Matteo Politano – 7

The crafty winger seems to be getting used to his new position. He wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty in defense, while he caused Fiorentina defenders all kinds of trouble on the right flank.

Giacomo Raspadori – 7

Despite missing a sitter in the first ten minutes, the ex-Sassuolo striker kept his nerve when it mattered the most to put Napoli 2-0 up with a cool finish.

Romelu Lukaku – 8

A ‘man of the match’ performance from Conte’s favorite center-forward sealed the deal for Napoli. In addition to scoring and assisting, Lukaku won virtually every duel against his markers.

Substitutes

Mathias Olivera – N/A