Napoli edge Sassuolo to return to winning ways

NAPLES, Italy, Jan 17 : Champions Napoli ended a run of three consecutive draws by beating Sassuolo 1-0 at home on Saturday to get their bid to retain the Serie A title back on track.

Napoli remained third, level on 43 points with second-placed AC Milan who host Lecce on Sunday, and six points behind leaders Inter Milan who beat Udinese 1-0 on Saturday. Sassuolo are 12th in the standings on 23 points.

"We're not getting the results we want, but the season is still long," Napoli defender Juan Jesus told DAZN.

"Today it was important to bring home these three points."

The hosts' early pressure paid off with Napoli taking a seventh-minute lead. Eljif Elmas's shot was parried away by Sassuolo goalkeeper Arijanet Muric and Stanislav Lobotka volleyed the rebound into the roof of the net.

Sassuolo responded immediately with a strike from the edge of the area by Armand Lauriente which Napoli keeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic pushed away and Juan Jesus cleared before Andrea Pinamonti reached the rebound.

Napoli's Giovanni Di Lorenzo headed wide from a Leonardo Spinazzola cross and Luca Lipani shot narrowly wide at the other end as the game continued to offer up chances for both sides.

Milinkovic-Savic almost let a header from Aster Vranckx slip through, but managed to hold onto the ball at the second attempt and Napoli held their lead going into the break.

Napoli's keeper was in action again shortly after halftime, parrying away Lipani's strike as the visitors continued to cause trouble for the hosts.

Napoli were content to sit on their lead, rarely threatening Sassuolo apart from a Scott McTominay shot from distance which went just wide but they did just enough to take the points ahead of a tough trip to Juventus next weekend.

The win came