Lukaku keeps Napoli top of Serie A with Roma winner

MILAN: Romelu Lukaku ensured Napoli maintained their one-point lead at the top of Serie A with the only goal in Sunday’s 1-0 win over his old club Roma.

Belgium striker Lukaku poked home his fifth Napoli goal from Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s low cross seven minutes after half-time in Naples, handing veteran Claudio Ranieri a defeat on his return to management with his boyhood club Roma.

Napoli lead Atalanta, Inter Milan and Fiorentina by a point in a crowded title race which is yet to offer up a clear favourite for the Scudetto.

Lazio can join the chasing trio on 28 points with a home win over Bologna in Sunday’s late match, with Juventus also four points off the pace in sixth.

“We knew before kick-off that this was going to be a big match for us because the other teams all won,” said Lukaku to Sky Sport.

“It’s too early to talk about the title. All we can do is look out for how we develop as a team, work to improve and win every match we play. But now is not the moment to talk about the title.”

Napoli were the better team at the Stadio Maradona and should have been ahead as early as the second minute when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia somehow sent a free header wide from less than six yards out.

Kvaratskhelia was also involved four minutes after half-time with a pinpoint cross from which Lukaku glanced just wide.

Ranieri has a job on his hands at Roma, who are four points above the relegation zone in 12th, but his team were unlucky not to level in the 66th minute when Artem Dovbyk thwacked a header off the bar.

“We have problems, that’s why they called me, and we played against a team fighting to win the title,” said Ranieri.

“Given all that, I’m happy with the performance. We made mistakes but the desire to get the season on the right track is there.”

Reborn Kean

Moise Kean continued his revival at Fiorentina by netting in a 2-0 win at Como which was his team’s seventh in a row in Serie A.

The 24-year-old has been reborn in Florence after failing to score a single goal at Juventus last season and has scored seven times in his last four matches in Italy’s top flight.

“Obviously people look at the goal, but the whole team has worked very hard with him… he’s developing and starting to reap the rewards,” said Fiorentina coach Raffaele Palladino.

Kean’s 68th-minute strike was his ninth in 12 league appearances under Palladino, whose team host champions Inter next weekend.

Fiorentina didn’t have things all their own way, and had David de Gea to thank for a superb triple save on the hour mark when they still only led by Yacine Adli’s 20th-minute opener.

Como are one point and place above Lecce, who are just inside the relegation zone and take on bottom side Venezia on Monday, after a fifth defeat in a worrying seven-match winless run.

Vieira denied

Patrick Vieira was denied a winning start as Genoa manager after a late penalty gave fellow Serie A strugglers Cagliari a 2-2 away draw.

Roberto Piccoli lashed home his spot-kick two minutes from the end after being fouled by Aaron Martin, snatching a point for Cagliari with his team’s second penalty of the game.

“My players delivered a good performance and focused on what we practised in training,” said Vieira.

“I’m disappointed for then because I think they deserved to win today.”

Vieira, who replaced sacked Alberto Gilardino on Wednesday, was heading for a debut win at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris after goals in each half from Morten Frendrup and Fabio Miretti which put Genoa ahead in the 59th minute following Razvan Marin’s early penalty for the away team.

The draw leaves Genoa in 16th, level with Cagliari and two points above Lecce.