The free-kick is poorly executed and sails behind for a goal-kick, denying Milan one final opportunity on goal. Albiol then screams at the referee and shows his displeasure about the awarding of the set-piece, and he too is shown a yellow card.
90' +4
Allan gets yellow.
A hopeful pass is launched towards the Napoli penalty area and almost finds Kalinic, who tries to latch onto the ball but is clattered into from behind by Albiol and wins his side a free-kick in a promising position. Allan isn't at all happy with the decision and receives a booking for his protests.
90' +3
Mertens darts deep into the Milan half of the pitch as he tries to carve out once final chance on goal for the home side, but he's barged off the ball at the last minute and fails to get a shot away. He screams for a free-kick, but the referee isn't at all interested and waves play on.
90' +1
A. Romagnoli has scored a goal for AC Milan!
GOAL! Milan have pulled one back! They've really struggled all night but the Rossoneri have given themselves some hope late on. A looping cross into the penalty area isn't fully dealt with and is only cleared as far as Romagnoli, who immediately unleashes a wonderful volley that bouces into the bottom right-hand corner of the net. Game on?
90'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be three minutes of added time.
88'
Kessie gets the better of Zielinski deep down the right wing before spinning and teeing up Abate. The wing-back then chips a cross into the middle of the Napoli box, but it's underhit and fails to cause too many problems for the hosts' defence.
86'
Bonucci is caught in possession deep inside the Milan half of the pitch and allows Mertens to be set up inside the penalty area, but the Belgian ends up blasting his quickly taken shot wide of the goal before the linesman's flag is rightly raised for offside.
85'
L. Biglia enters the game and replaces R. Montolivo.
Milan have made their third and final switch, with Lucas Biglia coming on to replace Montolivo.
84'
Mertens and Rog move the ball around nicely over on the right channel before the latter tries to find the Belgian once again eith a poked pass into the penalty area, but the forward is clearly offside and the linesman's flag is quickly raised.
82'
Another attempted Milan attacking move results in half a chance on goal for the visitors, but this time it's Silva who can only direct a weak effort straight to Reina, who hasn't been presented with much to deal with this evening.
Minute
Description
80'
Milan keep putting pressure on the Napoli defence as they continue piling bodies forward. Kessie picks up a loose ball just outside of the Napoli penalty area over on the right flank and curls a cross right onto the head of Kalinic, who rises high but can only send his header into the hands of Reina.
79'
M. Rog enters the game and replaces José Callejón.
Callejon receives a rousing round of applause from the home fans as he makes way for Marko Rog.
78'
Bonaventura finds himself just outside of the hosts' box with the ball at his feet and quickly shoots, but his toe-poked effort is easily tipped over the crossbar by Reina. The resulting corner is whipped towards the near post and is quickly nodded on, but there's nobody there to meet the ball in front of goal.
77'
I. Abate enters the game and replaces F. Borini.
Milan have made their second alteration of the night, with Ignazio Abate coming on to replace Borini out wide.
76'
Milan push forward on another decent attack, and this time they're able to win themselves a free-kick over on the right wing. Locatelli steps up and curls a cross into the middle of the penalty area, but, once again, Koulibaly is there to easily clear the ball.
74'
Milan quickly push forward from the restart as they desperately try to find a way back into the game. Silva cuts inside from the left flank and attempts to pick out Kalinic on the edge of the Napoli box, but Kalidou Koulibaly is there to cut out the danger.
72'
P. Zieliński has scored a goal for Napoli! Assist by D. Mertens.
That was a great piece of play from Mertens to perfectly pick out Mertens, but Milan left themselves far too open there. Zielinski was left all alone inside the box and only had Donnarumma to beat.
GOAL! It's 2-0 to Napoli! Zielinski is left all alone over on the left-hand side of the Milan penalty area, allowing the Polish midfielder to easily latch onto a lovely pass from Mertens before slotting a shot past Donnarumma.
71'
Milan's struggles in front of goal have resulted in them trying to beat Reina with speculative long-range efforts. Bonucci spots the Spaniard off his line and tries to get the better of him from the halfway line, but, unsurprisingly his effort is poor and fails to hit the target.
69'
P. Zieliński enters the game and replaces M. Hamšík.
Napoli have made another change, with Hamsik making way for Piotr Zielinski.
68'
Locatelli loses out on the halfway line, allowing Napoli to counter-attack swiftly through Callejon. The Spaniard quickly tries to pick out Maggio, who had made a good run down the right wing, but Romagnoli is there to deal with the danger.
66'
C. Maggio enters the game and replaces Mário Rui.
Napoli have made their first substitution of the game, and it's at full-back, where Christian Maggio has come on to replace Rui.
64'
It looks as if Napoli are going to be able to carve out a chance on goal after good play by Hysaj down the right wing, but Milan win back the ball and push forward on a quick counter-attack of their own. Locatelli's run is a good one and he then manages to set up Giacomo Bonaventura, who fires in a low cross but can't pick out a team-mate in front of goal.
62'
Another Milan attacking move proves to be a disappointing one, despite it being characterised by a decent series of passes. Locatelli manages to get a shot away from 25 yards out, but it's rushed and mishit and fails to hit the target.
60'
Napoli are starting to sit back ever so slightly, allowing Milan to enjoy some more possession inside the home side's half of the pitch. They're still struggling to find much joy when pushing forward, making life incredibly easy for the hosts.
58'
Another Milan attacking move sees Borini picks up the ball in a decent position deep down the right flank, but once again, the wing-back's attempted cross is woefully hit and sails high and wide of the Napoli goal.
56'
Milan are able to string together a decent series of passes as they try to carve out a rare chance on goal. They're unable to make their possession count, however, as Borini's low cross into the penalty area is poor and fails to beat the first man.
54'
Lovely play by Allan and Callejon sets up the latter to charge towards the Milan box. The Spaniard then spins and finds Hamsik, who immediately moves the ball onto Insigne out wide, but the latter isn't able to pick out a team-mate with his swinging cross and the Rossoneri manage to hold on.
52'
After a difficult start to the second half, Milan are able to push forward on their first attack since the break. Romagnoli gets himself into a good position over on the left wing before crossing, but it's poorly hit and makes life difficult for Kalinic over on the opposite flank.
50'
Another opportunity for Napoli! Allan charges deep into the Milan half of the pitch and then tries to pick out Insigne at the far post. The forward initially isn't able to latch onto the ball but eventually does and tees up Hamsik, who shoots but has his thumping effort well dealt with by Donnarumma.
48'
Huge chance for Napoli to make it 2-0! A wonderful pass penetrates the Milan defence and perfectly picks out Mertens just outside of the penalty area. The Belgian pulls off a brilliant touch to play a one-two with Insigne, but he can't beat Donnarumma with his shot and fires it straight at Donnarumma in the middle of the goal.
46'
We're underway once again!
45' +4
Another great opportunity for Insigne! This time the forward picks up the ball over on the left-hand side of the Milan box and quickly shoots, but his curling effort is clawed away by Donnarumma before it can find the top right-hand corner of the net.
45' +3
André Silva enters the game and replaces Suso.
Suso has been struggling over the last 10 minutes or so, and he's been forced off to be replaced by Andre Silva.
45' +2
Insigne hits the post! A lofted pass forward from Manuel Locatelli sails straight into the hands of Reina, who quickly unleashes a thumping clearace up the pitch. It perfectly picks out Insigne and sets him up to shoot from the edge of the penalty area, but his low, curling effort smashes the woodwork after beating Donnarumma.
45'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be three minutes of added time.
44'
Another great Napoli attack! A lovely chipped pass penetrates the visitors' box and manages to find Insigne. The forward quickly nods the ball across the face of goal and towards Mertens, but the Belgian can't quite reach it ahead of Donnarumma.
43'
An attempted Milan attacking move fails to come to anything and Napoli counter-attack quickly once again. Hysaj darts down the right flank before cutting inside and picking out Hamsik, who tries to spin and pick out a team-mate inside the box but is immediately dispossessed.
41'
Hysaj makes a marauding run down the right wing before firing a thumping cross into the Milan penalty area. It's met by a white shirt but only cleared as far as Jorginho, who quickly shoots but fizzes his strike over the top of the crossbar.
39'
The goal has understandably rattled Milan, who were starting to find a way into the game but are now on the back foot once again. Napoli are piling plenty of bodies forward and causing all sorts of problems for the under-pressure Rossoneri.
37'
Vital touch by Alessio Romagnoli! Allan breaks forward on another quick Napoli attack before trying to pick out Callejon inside the box, but just as it looks as if it's going to find the Spaniard, an outstretched foot from Romagnoli stops it from doing so.
35'
Napoli quickly win the ball back from the restart and push forward once again, but Insigne can't quick pick out a team-mate on the edge of the Milan penalty area and the visitors are just about able to hold on.
33'
L. Insigne has scored a goal for Napoli! Assist by Jorginho.
Insigne scores, but it's ruled out for offside! A wonderful pass from Jorginho splits the Milan back line in two and perfectly picks out Insigne. He charges into the penalty area and does brilliantly to get the better of Donnarumma, but a late flag denies him the opening goal of the game.
GOAL! It's been given! Despite initially looking as if he's decided not to give the goal, the referee finally goes to the VAR and then overturns the linesman's decision. It's a very controversial call, as the referee had already blown his whistle. By doing so, he shouldn't be able to consult the VAR. Blimey!
That really was a great pass from Jorginho. The Italy international sent a wonderful pass straight into the feet of Insigne, who then only had Donnarumma to beat inside the box.
32'
Hamsik does well to penetrate the left-hand side of the Milan box after latching onto a clever pass into the penalty area. He fizzes a pass across the face of goal that Donnarumma palms out to Insigne, who quickly shoots but can't guide his strike through a sea of white shirts.
31'
The pace of the game has slowed down slightly over the last few minutes, with both sides struggling to find much joy inside the final third of the pitch. Kessie is the latest player to shoot from distance, but his long-range effort is a wild one and sails comfortably wide of the Napoli goal.
29'
This time it's Allan's turn to charge through the middle of the pitch on a good counter-attacking run before shooting, but his 25-yard effort is easily stopped by Donnarumma after rolling safely into the hands of the young goalkeeper.
27'
Napoli poorly lose possession on the halfway line and allow Milan to counter-attack once again. Suso powers through a sea of black shirts before trying to test Reina with another strike, but despite forcing the goalkeeper into making a save, it fails to cause too many problems for the home side.
26'
Suso is usually one of Milan's standout performers, but he's found it difficult to get into the game due to Napoli's dominance of the contest. He cuts inside from the right wing and does well to carve out a pocket of space for himself, but he can't test Pepe Reina with his long-range shot and sends it high over the top of the crossbar.
24'
An attempted Milan attacking move fails to come to anything, and Napoli break forward quickly once again. Mertens sprints towards the Milan box and then unleashes a strike from 25 yards out, but it's fired straight into the hands of Donnarumma and is easily stopped.
22'
Rui picks up the ball in a promising position out wide and quickly curls a dangerous cross into the Milan penalty area. It's well hit by the full-back and bounces towards Callejon, who tries his best to latch onto the ball but is just about beaten to it by Donnarumma.
20'
It's been a really difficult opening 20 minutes for Milan, who have barely had a sniff in front of goal. Kalinic has struggled to get anywhere near the ball so far, leaving him an isolated figure inside the Napoli half of the pitch. The hosts are comfortably on top and causing plenty of problems.
18'
Kessie is able to get back to his feet and the game gets underway once again. Dries Mertens chips a wonderful pass over the top of the Milan back line from the free-kick and almost picks out Insigne, who sticks out a foot but can't quite latch onto the ball in front of goal.
17'
Hamsik picks up the ball midway inside the Milan half of the pitch and immediately charges forward, but he's quickly charged into by Kessie and wins the hosts a free-kick in a promising position. Kessie looks to have injured himself slightly, so there will be a momentary break as he receives medical treatment.
15'
Milan are really struggling to handle Napoli's dangerous set-pieces. Once again, a corner isn't fully dealt with by the visitors and bounces over to Marek Hamsik, who quickly shoots but fizzes his thumping half-volley away from goal and over to the right flank.
13'
And now Albiol goes close! The resulting corner is swung over to the far post and manages to find Albiol after Donnarumma completely misses the ball. The defender is able to get away a header from close range, but he can't hit the target with it.
12'
What a chance for Callejon! Space opens up for Allan in the middle of the pitch, allowing the Brazilian to charge forward on a wonderful run. He then sets up Lorenzo Insigne to curl a cross over to Callejon at the far post, but the Spaniard can't quite squeeze his header past Donnarumma.
10'
Borini does well to get the better over on the right-hand side of the Napoli box as Milan push forward on their first decent attack of the game. He then chips a cross over towards Nikola Kalinic, but Raul Albiol is easily able to get a head on the ball ahead of the striker.
8'
Rui showcases wonderful skill once again as he easily gets the better of Suso out wide. He nutmegs the Spaniard on his way into the middle of the pitch and then tries to take on Riccardo Montolivo, but the Milan midfielder comes out on top before winning the visitors a free-kick.
6'
Jorginho steps up and curls a cross into the heart of the Milan penalty area from the resulting free-kick. It's hit well enough by the newly capped Italy international but Franck Kessie is there to clear the danger without too many problems.
5'
F. Borini gets yellow.
We're only five minutes into the contest but Fabio Borini has already been shown a yellow card. Mario Rui makes an excellent run down the left flank before trying to cut past Borini, who sticks out a foot and trips the full-back to the ground with a clumsy and mistimed challenge.
3'
After an even start to the game from both sides, it's Napoli who push forward on the first attack of the evening. Elseid Hysaj charges down the right wing on an impressive run before working the ball over to Jose Callejon, who quickly sets up Jorginho. The midfielder immediately shoots, but his strike is overhit and fails to test Gianluigi Donnarumma.
1'
We're off! Milan get us underway, attacking from right to left.
Good evening and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s Serie A game between Napoli and AC Milan at the Stadio San Paolo.
Napoli have only dropped points on two occasions this season, with one of those games coming away to Chievo just before the international break. It was a contest that they would have been expecting to win, and their inability to do so means their lead over reigning champions Juventus at the top of the Serie A table has been cut to just one point.
As a result, they’ll be desperately hoping to leave with all three points as they try to stay ahead of the Old Lady. They have certainly been in stellar form so far this season, and they remain unbeaten 12 games into the campaign. They’re now without a defeat in their last 24 Serie A outings, and they currently boast both the second best attacking and defensive records.
All of that means it’s set to be another tough night for an under-achieving Milan side. The Rossoneri picked up a much-needed win against Sassuolo in their last game before the international break but haven’t started in the season in the sort of fashion they would have been hoping for. Despite spending plenty on new recruits, they already find themselves 13 points behind their opponents today.
While a 19th Serie A title may still be slightly out of Milan’s reach, what is more worrying is how far away from the Champions League places they already are. Roma’s win in this afternoon’s Derby della Capitale means Vincenzo Montella’s struggling side are now 11 points away from the fourth spot they so desperately crave, highlighting just how wide the gap between themselves and the top sides remains.
Napoli have comfortably dominated this fixture in recent years, with four of the last five meetings between the two ending in victories for the Partenopei. They won 2-1 at San Siro back in January and have been victorious in each of Milan’s last three visits to the San Paolo, with the Rossoneri managing to pick up a win in just one of their last 12 games against tonight’s opponents.
There’s just under 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this evening...
Napoli XI (4-3-3): Reina; Hysaj, Albiol, Koulibaly, Rui; Allan, Jorginho, Hamsik; Callejon, Mertens, Insigne.
Milan substitutes: Mauri, Silva, Zapata, Abate, Biglia, Antonelli, Gabbia, Cutrone, Rodriguez, Antonio Donnarumma.
Milan XI (3-4-1-2): Gianluigi Donnarumma; Musacchio, Bonucci, Romagnoli; Borini, Kessie, Montolivo, Bonaventura; Locatelli; Suso, Kalinic.
Maurizio Sarri has decided to make two changes to the Napoli side that drew against Chievo just before the international break, with Pepe Reina and Allan coming into the starting line-up to replace Luigi Sepe and Piotr Zielinski, respectively.
Meanwhile, Milan boss Vincenzo Montella has made three alterations to the team that featured in their last outing, with Cristian Zapata, Davide Calabria and Hakan Calhanoglu making way for Mateo Musacchio, Giacomo Bonaventura and Manuel Locatelli.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
HALF-TIME: NAPOLI 1-0 MILAN
The home side have performed brilliantly so far and deservedly lead at the half-time break. Just one goal currently separates the two sides but Milan have barely been in the game due to the impressive nature of the hosts' play. They've thoroughly impressed inside the final third of the pitch, where Insigne, Mertens and Callejon have all looked dangerous every time they're on the ball. Milan desperately need to improve if they're to find a way back into the contest.
The two teams are making their way back out on to the pitch ahead of the start of the second half. Neither side have made any substitutions during the half-time break.
FULL-TIME: NAPOLI 2-1 MILAN
Milan tried their hardest near the end of the game and performed slightly better after the break, but, as has been the case for most of the season so far, they really struggled to find much joy inside the final third of the pitch. Napoli were able to sit back and comfortably hold on to their lead, and it wasn't until Romagnoli rocketed in a thumping volley that they started to sweat ever so slightly. It was too little, too late, however, and all three points have gone to the Serie A leaders.
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