Milan, the defending champion, inflicted its third defeat on its host, Napoli, on Sunday, 4-0, in the twenty-eighth stage of the Italian Football League , in a meeting that is considered a "rehearsal" for the upcoming confrontation between them in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
It seems that the vast difference that Napoli built in the lead made him relax a bit, as two of his three defeats this season occurred in the last four stages.
However, coach Luciano Spalletti's team is still in a very comfortable position and is steadily moving towards the first title for the southern club since 1990, as it is 16 points ahead of its closest pursuers, with 10 stages remaining until the end of the season.
On the other hand, the victory was very important for Milan for the battle to participate in the Champions League next season, and it allowed it to become third with 51 points, a point behind its neighbor Inter, who lost Saturday at home to Fiorentina 0-1.
This revenge victory over the team that knocked him down in Milan 2-1 also gives him the necessary morale in order to approach the upcoming confrontation between them in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, where the “Rossoneri” will receive the first leg on the 12th of this month, before traveling back to the south on the 18th.
Milan was the best side from the start, and was rewarded for that by opening the scoring in the 17th minute through Portugal's Rafael Leao, who received the ball with a beautiful through pass from Spaniard Ibrahim Dias, so he skillfully shot it over goalkeeper Alex Merritt.
Milan did not wait long to consolidate its lead with a second goal, which went to Dias, who received the ball from a cross by the Algerian Ismail bin Nasser, so he deceived the defense with skill before firing it into the net (25).
The result remained the same until the beginning of the second half, when Liao dealt the final blow to the hosts with his second personal goal in the match and the third for his team, after a solo effort on the left side, which he finished with a powerful shot from a difficult angle (59), raising his tally to 10 goals in the league this season.
Milan continued its offensive display and added a beautiful fourth goal after a wonderful individual effort by Belgian substitute Alexis Salimakers (67), dealing the final blow to the southern team, which was undoubtedly affected by the absence of its Nigerian scorer Victor Osimhen from injury.
Like Milan, Lazio benefited from the fall of Inter to consolidate its second position, by defeating its host Monza 2-0.
Coach Maurizio Sarri's team took full advantage of the opportunity, thanks to the goal of Spaniard Pedro Rodrigues with a ground kick from inside the area (13), and Serbian Sergey Milinkovic Savic with a beautiful free kick (56).
Milinkovic-Savic, who scored his goal since January, the fifty-sixth in Lazio colors, which made him the best foreign scorer in the history of the capital club against German Miroslav Klose and North Macedonian Goran Pandev, said that it is "three huge points... We saw Inter fail to win again." Let's hope that Milan also fails so that we can stay in second place for a longer period."
And he admitted that, "Several months have passed and I am not playing as I would like. It was a difficult period for me, but I do everything I have to get better, and today I finally managed to score a goal."
And by maintaining his unbeaten record in the league for the sixth consecutive stage in a series during which he achieved five victories, including the victory over Napoli away from home (1-0) and his arch-neighbor Rome (1-0 also), Lazio raised its tally to 55 points in second place, by 5. Points for Inter, who fell to fourth place.
On the other hand, Montsa's balance froze at 34 points in thirteenth place, after the newcomer to the League of Lights received his eleventh defeat.
Similar to Lazio, its arch-neighbor, Roma, benefited from the fall of Inter and regained its balance after losing the derby match before the international matches window, by defeating its injured guest, Sampdoria, 3-0.
Roma condemns the victory to the Dutchman Georginho Wijnaldum, who scored the first goal with a header after a cross from Serbian Nemanja Matic (57), then caused the penalty kick from which the second goal came through Argentine Paulo Dybala (88), before Stephen El Shaarawy added the third in stoppage time. (4 + 90) From the meeting that the guests completed with ten players after the expulsion of Colombian Jeson Murillo with a second warning (52).
Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho's team raised its tally to 50 points, in fifth place, on goal difference from Inter.
Bologna continued its positive results this season by beating its host Udinese 3-0, the first of which was a wonderful shot from outside the area by Austrian Stefan Bosch after less than 3 minutes had passed, raising his score to 40 points in eighth place, two points behind his opponent, who fell to tenth place.
In a match between two teams struggling to get away from the relegation zone, Spezia tied with its guest Salernitana 1-1, raising the first to 25 points in the seventeenth place and the second to 28 in the fourteenth place.