Scudetto holders Inter Milan produced a remarkable late comeback to beat Massimiliano Allegri’s SSC Napoli 3-2 at San Siro and avoid dropping their first points of the Serie A season.
The victory was Inter’s first in seven Serie A meetings with Napoli and took Cristian Chivu’s side back to the top of the table at this early stage of the campaign.
It also extended Inter’s unbeaten home run in Serie A to almost 10 months, with the Milan club now having recorded 10 wins and three draws in that sequence.
There was early promise from both teams in an entertaining contest between last season’s top two sides. Andy Diouf tested Alex Meret with a first-time effort from the edge of the area after three minutes, before Napoli carried a threat at the other end.
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa forced a sharp reflex save from Josep Martinez with a low shot through a crowded penalty area. Martinez then reacted quickly to deny Matteo Politano from a tight angle.
Anguissa went close again midway through the first half when a deflected effort drifted narrowly wide, although the pace of the match began to drop as the interval approached.
That spell appeared to suit Napoli, who should have taken the lead before half-time. Rasmus Højlund found himself with a close-range opportunity but could not generate enough power or accuracy to beat Martinez at his near post.
Inter came close to punishing that miss when Federico Dimarco’s free-kick struck the crossbar, but Napoli survived and the teams went into the break level.
Chivu responded by making two changes at half-time, introducing Marcus Thuram and new signing Curtis Jones. However, Inter’s situation quickly became far more difficult after Napoli scored twice in three minutes.
A defensive mistake allowed Napoli to win the ball deep in Inter territory. When an Alisson Santos shot was parried, Politano reacted first and converted at the second attempt to put the visitors ahead.
Napoli doubled their advantage shortly afterwards. Inter failed to deal with a ball that had stopped short of crossing the touchline, and Højlund was given the space to send a low strike into the far corner.
The hosts looked close to losing control of the game, but they responded almost immediately.
Napoli’s defence switched off when Dimarco managed to keep Piotr Zielinski’s searching pass in play. He then picked out Lautaro Martinez, who slid in to reduce the deficit.
Inter began to apply sustained pressure, with Napoli forced to withstand a succession of attacks. Thuram came close to scoring when his stooping header brushed the outside of the post.
The equaliser arrived with eight minutes remaining. Thuram rose to meet a deep cross from Carlos Augusto and directed a powerful header beyond Meret.
Inter continued to press for a winner, but Napoli nearly restored their lead in the closing stages when Anguissa failed to turn the ball home from point-blank range.
That miss proved costly. Moments later, Martinez reacted instinctively during a goalmouth scramble, darting towards the back post before steering a close-range finish into the net to complete Inter’s comeback.
Napoli have now lost their past two matches, while their first defeat in seven Serie A away games after four wins and three draws will be particularly painful given the way they surrendered a two-goal lead.
Lautaro Martinez was named Flashscore’s Man of the Match.