Napoli blow 2-0 lead as Inter fight back to win 3-2

Napoli led 2-0 away to the reigning champions and lost 3-2, undone by three goals in the closing stages at Inter.

Napoli started the second half fast. Politano put them ahead in the 50th minute, and Höjlund made it 2-0 three minutes later, finishing off a Di Lorenzo assist. It was a lead built on two sharp moments rather than control of the game: Inter held 63% of possession and had 29 shots to Napoli's 16. Lautaro Martinez pulled one back almost immediately, converting a Dimarco pass in the 56th minute to make it 2-1.

Head coach Allegri sent on De Bruyne and Neres in the 62nd minute to try to see out the win, while Inter also brought on Augusto. The pattern continued: Martinez was booked in the 68th minute, Thuram struck the crossbar in the 73rd, and Marín picked up a yellow card in the 77th. Napoli held on to their slim lead, but Inter always looked like they were waiting for their moment.

That moment came late. Thuram equalised in the 82nd minute, set up by Augusto, who had only been on the pitch for 20 minutes. Napoli could not respond, and Lautaro Martinez completed his brace in the 90th minute, finishing off an Akanji assist to make it 3-2 to Inter. The game had turned completely in the space of eight minutes.

Napoli built a 2-0 lead in the second half and conceded three goals from there to the final whistle, away to the reigning Serie A champions. It is their second defeat in three league games, leaving them eighth on 4 points — a return that adds to questions already being asked about Allegri this week. Arsenal visit the Maradona on Wednesday, and Napoli arrive with a blown lead to explain.