Napoli Player Ratings vs Inter: Billing Keeps Scudetto Race Wide Open | OneFootball

Napoli fought back late from a halftime deficit to hold Inter to a dramatic 1-1 draw in Saturday’s Serie A blockbuster. As a result, Antonio Conte preserved his unbeaten managerial record against the Nerazzurri.

Napoli entered this top-table six-pointer amid a rough patch. A substandard 2-1 defeat at newcomers Como last weekend condemned Antonio Conte’s side to a fourth consecutive league game without winning, putting the trophy-laden coach in an awkward position.

Indeed, Conte faced his former employers staring down the barrel of a five-game winless run in Serie A for the first time in his illustrious managerial career. The former Inter boss couldn’t have hoped for a worse start as Federico Dimarco’s outstanding free-kick fired the Nerazzurri 1-0 up in the 22nd minute.

Despite showing more ambition to find the net than Inter in the rest of the first half, Napoli couldn’t muster a clear-cut chance and had to settle for a narrow deficit at the break. Conte waited too long to make substitutions, but he made the right call as Philip Billing came off the bench to restore parity in the 87th minute.

Napoli (3-5-2)

Alex Meret –

There was nothing the Napoli goalkeeper could’ve done to thwart Dimarco’s inch-perfect set piece.

Alessandro Buongiorno –

Against recent criticism, the towering center-back was impressive against Lautaro Martinez, keeping the Argentine star at bay while showing confidence and composure on the ball.

Amir Rrahmani –

Lucky to get away with an early booking for a cynical tackle on Marcus Thuram. However, he neutralized the Frenchman, making one of Serie A’s most prolific forwards this season an idle threat.

Giovanni Di Lorenzo –

Despite playing out of his favorite position, the Napoli captain fared reasonably well and wasn’t shy of making forward runs, irrespective of his slightly more conservative role.

Leonardo Spinazzola –

None of his several attempted crosses found its mark as the Italian wingback wasted too much energy on unnecessary tricks and flicks instead of focusing on picking out his teammates in the box.

Scott McTominay –

Napoli got lucky that referee Daniele Doveri didn’t penalize his mindless challenge on Denzel Dumfries inside the box. Josep Martinez parried away his thunderous shot in the second half.

Stanislav Lobotka –

Conte’s team desperately needed someone to find a defense-splitting pass, but the Slovakia international’s indecisiveness and reluctance to play through balls often frustrated the home crowd.

Billy Gilmour – 6

Swooped in for Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, the young gun didn’t live up to the billing, though he had some promising moments, including a delightful lob pass for Romelu Lukaku.

Matteo Politano – 6

Deployed in a wingback role, the ex-Inter man struggled for the final touch and often lack the cutting edge in the crucial areas.

Giacomo Raspadori – 6

Despite seeing plenty of action around Inter’s box, the diminutive forward was often in possession but never close to testing Martinez. Very few things went his way this evening.

Romelu Lukaku –

Nearly netted a spectacular volley midway through the first half, Lukaku was a thorn in Inter’s side, brushing Francesco Acerbi aside in almost every duel.

Substitutes