Second-half comeback sees Napoli draw dramatic clash with Milan
This match pitted together the previous two Scudetto winners, and the atmosphere inside the ground was befitting of such an occasion.
Stefano Pioli’s side came into this contest under a considerable amount of pressure following two chastening defeats against Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain but made an ideal start here in Campania.
The evergreen Olivier Giroud ended a run of 10 matches without a goal for club and country when he rose unchallenged in the box to meet Christian Pulisic’s cross with a header that slipped through Alex Meret's grasp.
Napoli should have hit back almost immediately through Matteo Politano, who hit the side-netting from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s cross.
Meanwhile, Mario Rui could have levelled the scoreline in emphatic fashion himself with a stunning long-range effort that sailed over the bar.
However, it was Giroud who doubled the Rossoneri’s advantage after another clinical header, this time meeting Davide Calabria’s delivery just past the half-hour mark.
Tijjani Reijnders should have added a third before the break, but opened up his body too much and saw his close-range effort go over the bar.
Politano halved the deficit in stunning fashion just five minutes into the second half, brilliantly weaving his way into the box and powering a thunderous finish past Mike Maignan.
The match was being played at a scintillating pace, as Maignan made a fine save to deny Giovanni Di Lorenzo, while Kvaratskhelia rifled his attempt over the bar after an error by the Rossoneri shot-stopper.
An equaliser did not seem far away, and the Partenopei faithful were in raptures after Giacomo Raspadori's stunning free-kick whipped past Maignan. It was the least that Rudi Garcia’s men deserved, and the technique on Raspadori's set-piece was something to behold.
The hosts were reduced to 10 men late on when Natan was shown a very harsh second yellow card for a collision with Luka Romero, but the hosts held on for a point regardless, although Calabria should have stolen victory for Milan, but inexplicably headed wide at the far post in stoppage time.
A draw was a fair outcome for the endeavour both teams showed in the 90 minutes, as Napoli and Milan consolidated their positions in fourth and third place respectively.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Matteo Politano (Napoli)
