Antonio Conte’s Napoli missed a golden opportunity to seize the top spot in Serie A after being held to a goalless draw away at Venezia in Sunday’s early fixture.
The result keeps Inter at the summit, with their crucial showdown against Atalanta still to come later in the evening.
Conte opted for consistency, naming an unchanged starting XI following last weekend’s 2-1 triumph over Fiorentina. Giacomo Raspadori and Romelu Lukaku led the line, while Billy Gilmour, Stanislav Lobotka, and Scott McTominay formed the midfield trio.
Napoli nearly struck early when Raspadori rattled the post just five minutes in, pouncing on a deflected cross from Giovanni Di Lorenzo to send a low shot against the woodwork.
Despite that scare, Venezia were the more threatening side in the opening exchanges. Mikael Ellertsson’s dangerous deliveries from the left flank tested Napoli’s defense, while Daniel Fila forced Alex Meret into the first save of the afternoon 15 minutes in.
The closing stages of the first half mirrored the energetic start, with Venezia carving out two golden opportunities.
Kike Perez’s shot was parried by Meret, and Amir Rrahmani had to make a crucial goal-line clearance after Fila’s rebound effort.
Napoli, however, had the best chance before the interval. Lukaku’s powerful downward header in the 45th minute seemed destined for the bottom corner, but Radu produced a superb goal-line stop to keep the game level heading into halftime.
The second half saw Napoli dominate possession, spending long spells camped in Venezia’s half. They won multiple corners and free-kicks but struggled to craft clear scoring chances despite their territorial advantage.
Their momentum took a hit when Rrahmani was forced off with an injury with 15 minutes remaining.
Conte responded with a quadruple substitution, bringing on Juan Jesus, Matias Olivera, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, and Noah Okafor in an attempt to inject fresh energy.
Napoli’s best chance to snatch all three points came deep into injury time. Giovanni Simeone, who had replaced Lukaku late on, found himself in prime position to score but blazed over from 10 yards after Okafor’s precise cross from the left.
With this result, Napoli remain in second place, tied on points with Inter, who still have a game in hand against third-placed Atalanta later in the day.
