Inter Milan see off Lecce as Napoli draw in Serie A title race

Inter tightened their grip at the top of the table with a hard-fought home win over Lecce, while Napoli dropped valuable points in the title race after being held at home by Parma. 

The contrasting results widened the gap at the summit and underlined the fine margins shaping the season.

Esposito Strike Keeps Inter Marching On

Inter Milan stretched their lead at the top of Serie A to six points with a narrow 1-0 victory over Lecce at the San Siro, condemning the visitors to a third straight league defeat and leaving them just three points above the relegation zone.

Cristian Chivu rotated his side, and Ange-Yoan Bonny was lively early on, forcing Wladimiro Falcone into a sharp save inside six minutes. Bonny later turned provider, setting up Piotr Zielinski, whose strike flew just over, before seeing a penalty appeal overturned following a VAR review.

Inter controlled the first half, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marcus Thuram both going close, while Lecce offered little threat apart from a late Riccardo Sottil effort that drifted wide.

The pressure continued after the break as Falcone denied Nicolo Barella and Andy Diouf in quick succession. Lecce relied on resilience and fortune, surviving a deflected Pio Esposito header from a corner. 

Chivu then introduced top scorer Lautaro Martinez, and the breakthrough soon followed. Martinez's shot was parried by Falcone, and Esposito reacted quickest to turn in the rebound with 12 minutes remaining.

That goal proved decisive, sealing Inter's 12th win in 14 league matches. Lecce, meanwhile, remain the lowest scorers in the division.

Napoli Frustrated as Parma Shut the Door

Napoli missed the chance to climb outright into second place after being held to a goalless draw by Parma, the first 0-0 between the sides since December 2000.

Fresh from a dramatic draw with Inter, Antonio Conte's side started brightly. Scott McTominay thought he had scored after 11 minutes, but his close-range effort was ruled out for offside. Napoli continued to press, with Alessandro Buongiorno and Rasmus Hojlund both denied by an impressive Filippo Rinaldi.

Chances remained scarce after the break as Parma stayed compact. Conte responded with a triple substitution before the hour, introducing David Neres, Eljif Elmas and Leonardo Spinazzola, but Napoli struggled for fluency. Giovanni Di Lorenzo headed over, McTominay shot straight at Rinaldi, and Stanislav Lobotka failed to trouble the goalkeeper late on.

Parma held firm to earn a valuable point, while Napoli were left to rue missed opportunities. Conte's side moved level on points with second-placed AC Milan and extended their unbeaten home league run to 20 matches, but the stalemate allowed Inter to pull further clear at the top.