Victor Osimhen scored one and helped prompt an own goal, as Napoli emerged with a 2-0 victory from Empoli, but Mario Rui was sent off for a foolish reaction foul.
The Partenopei were fresh from a 2-0 Champions League win over Eintracht Frankfurt and seeking a 20th win in 21 Serie A rounds, with only Giacomo Raspadori unavailable. The Tuscans had Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro and Filippo Bandinelli suspended, with Nicolò Cambiaghi, Mattia Destro and Lorenzo Tonelli injured, plus Francesco Caputo not fully fit.
It took a bit of luck to break the deadlock, as a corner came as far as Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, who found Piotr Zielinski at the back post to volley across the six-yard box for Victor Osimhen, but Ardian Ismajli got there first and accidentally turned into his own net.
Osimhen hit the side-netting and Alex Meret fingertipped a Liam Henderson scorcher round the upright, but the second goal also came from a corner.
It was passed to Kvaratskhelia well outside the area for a right-foot curler that bounced right in front of Guglielmo Vicario, so the goalkeeper palmed it only into the path of Osimhen. It was the Nigerian’s eighth consecutive Serie A game on target.
There was almost a ninth when Hirving Lozano caught Sebastiano Luperto napping, but Vicario made a desperate save, and on the resulting corner Kim Min-jae’s header thumped the crossbar from point-blank range.
Lozano smashed inches wide after a smart Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa back-heel flick and Osimhen had the ball in the net on the hour mark with a run from the centre-circle, only for it to be ruled offside.
Napoli seemed in complete control until Mario Rui lost his head, as he was on the ground after a collision with Caputo when he looked up at his opponent and lashed out a boot to the crotch. It was spotted by VAR and a red card was inevitable, along with what will be at least a two-match ban against Lazio and Atalanta.
Giovanni Simeone came off the bench and within 30 seconds had forced a save from Vicario with a ferocious angled drive.
Empoli 0-2 Napoli
Ismajli og 17 (N), Osimhen 28 (N)
Sent off: Mario Rui 67 (N)
Player statistic
| 17' |  |
Ardian Ismajli | ||
| Liam Henderson |  |
25' | ||
| 28' |  |
Victor Osimhen |
| Alberto Grassi | |
62' | ||
| 63' | |
Hirving Lozano | ||
| 67' |  |
Mário Rui |
Match statistic
