Juventus back on top after clinical win against wasteful Napoli

TURIN, Italy :Juventus delivered an efficient performance as they moved back to provisional top spot in Serie A on Friday, securing a 1-0 home win against a wasteful Napoli thanks to a header from Federico Gatti.

Six minutes into the second half, Juve broke the deadlock when Gatti collected an Andrea Cambiaso cross at the back post, outjumping his marker to head it into the back of the net.

Napoli had numerous opportunities but Khvicha Kvaratskhelia missed a huge chance, while Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny made several saves to thwart the visitors' clear scoring chances.

Juve top the standings with 36 points, one ahead of Inter Milan who host lowly Udinese on Saturday.

"We did well in the first half, moving the ball side to side, then in difficult moments the team becomes a block of granite," Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri told DAZN.

"I have a group of players who work hard. We need to slow things down, not always try to make it one-touch football. We should control the ball better in some moments of the match."

Asked about Juve's stated hopes of a top-four finish, Allegri said: "We can even say in the dressing room that we have the ambition to win the Scudetto but you need to get results. There's no point talking about what might be, we need to focus on what is."

NAPOLI MISS CHANCES

For Napoli, the match highlighted their struggling form, marking three consecutive defeats across all competitions for the first time since October 2016. They are fifth with 24 points.

"Anyone who knows football realises there are moments. The guys played a great game, I think they dominated the match and forced Juventus to defend in their own area for almost the entire second half," manager Walter Mazzarri said.

Napoli's intense start saw