Roma fall to ruins as Napoli reclaims top spot

 ROME – The tussle at the top of the Serie A table has grown even tighter following game week 10, which saw Napoli reclaim their number one spot by one point as Milan, Inter and Roma all tie for points.

 A crucial match for AS Roma to stay in first place and become sole leaders at the top of the table saw the Giallorossi lose 1-0 to AC Milan. AS Roma started off on the stronger foot, with Bryan Cristante nearly scoring in the second minute. However, despite defending constant attacks from the Romans, AC Milan were the team to break the deadlock. Rafael Leão charged down the left wing with a strong counterattack, profiting from the fact the Roma defenders were out of position. He crossed it to Strahinja Pavlovic who tapped it into the net in the 39^th minute.  The first half ended 1-0.

 Roma continued on the attack in the second half and were awarded a penalty in the 82^nd minute. However, Paolo Dybala failed to convert as Mike Maignon blocked the strike. Although Roma was arguably the stronger team, they wasted many scoring opportunities and were unable to convert, meaning the game finished 1-0. This Milan victory saw the two teams tie for points in the table, however the Rossoneri moved above Roma thanks to a better goal difference.

 It was a strong weekend for the Milanese teams as Inter Milan beat Hellas Verona 2-1 with an injury-time goal. Inter opened the scoring in the 16^th minute from a corner kick which saw Piotr Zielinski volley the ball into the back of the net. However, Verona equalised just before halftime with a strong strike from Giovane in the 40^th minute. Both teams continued to attack strongly, and Verona were unlucky to not be awarded a penalty following a VAR controversy. However, it was not until the 93^rd minute that Inter found the winning goal, with a dramatic Martin Frese own goal as a header deflected of the Verona player’s back into the net.

 Elsewhere, Napoli dropped points against Como, only managing to secure one point following a 0-0 draw. However, the one point was enough for the current title holders to move top of the table once more this season.

 Bologna won 1-3 against Parma to stay in fifth place, while Juventus beat Cremonese 1-2 to move to sixth place – equal on points with the Emilia-Romagna team. Torino drew 2-2 with Pisa and Udinese beat Atalanta 1-0.

 Fiorentina lost 0-1 against Lecce, marking their 10^th consecutive match without a win this season. Their manager, Stefano Pioli, was fired on Tuesday.

 In the Monday matches, Lazio moved to eighth place with a 2-0 win over Cagliari while Genoa beat Sassuolo 1-2.