McTominay and Lukaku shine as Napoli keep pressure on leaders Inter

Napoli cruised to a 3-0 win over relegation-threatened Empoli on Monday with Scott McTominay and Romelu Lukaku leading the charge as the hosts kept pace with Serie A leaders Inter Milan.

Second-placed Napoli were feeling the pressure after Inter’s 3-1 home win against Cagliari on Saturday but, with six rounds remaining, they trail the Milan side by three points with 68.

The Napoli duo were unstoppable at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona against Empoli, who are second from bottom and two points off the safety zone. The home side created chance after chance and wreaked havoc on the Empoli defence.

“Romelu is a great teammate. He demands a lot from all the team and me to score more goals and create more opportunities for him to score as well,” McTominay told DAZN.

“He’s obviously a great player. He’s had a great career, and we’re so happy to have him.”

It took 18 minutes for Napoli to open the scoring as Lukaku battled free in midfield and passed to the onrushing McTominay, whose low long-range shot bounced over Empoli goalkeeper Devis Vasquez’s outstretched hand and into the corner of the net.

Belgium striker Lukaku added his name to the scoresheet in the 56th minute, latching onto a perfect through ball inside the box and easily finding the net to double the advantage.

McTominay completed his brace in the 61st, again assisted by Lukaku who whipped a cross in from the right for the unmarked Scotsman to power home a header off the underside of the bar.

The two players linked up again shortly after as Lukaku played in McTominay for a counter-attack but the hat-trick opportunity was thwarted by the inside of the post.

Napoli’s comfortable evening took a hit in front of a noisy home crowd minutes later when Napoli defender Juan Jesus had to go off because of what looked like a hamstring injury.

Lukaku had one more chance just before being substituted but could not quite control David Neres’s cross and sent it wide.

In the dying minutes, McTominay had an opportunity to put the ball in the net again from close range but Vazquez produced a stunning save and the flag was in any case up for offside.

With the season moving towards a thrilling finale, McTominay said the focus must be on themselves despite Inter’s advantage.

“We must have fun and think about ourselves. We’re a strong team and must continue with this playing style and attitude. We must think about ourselves and then we’ll see what Inter will do.”

Napoli have a relatively easy run-in on paper with all of their last six opponents currently 10th or lower in the table. They next travel to bottom club Monza on Saturday.

Napoli manager Antonio Conte praised his players’ mentality after the title-chasing team’s latest victory, highlighting how staying focused in key moments was crucial to brushing Empoli aside.

“Today at halftime I told the players to approach the second half as if the game was still 0-0 and to go out and win it.

“The response was excellent. The performance was a very high level, and I believe the crowd appreciated it too,” Conte said.

There was never any doubt about who was the best team, with McTominay scoring twice as Belgian Lukaku set up both goals for the Scotsman and also found the net himself.

While Conte was pleased with the duo’s performance, he emphasised the result was the product of a team effort.

“Lukaku and McTominay made an impact, but this victory is the result of everyone’s hard work,” he told reporters.

“It is the success of a group that has always responded when called upon, and that is now starting to reap the rewards of their efforts.”

Agencies