Hojlund returns, Napoli win narrowly to maintain top spot in Serie A.

In the 69th minute at Via del Mare, from a set piece on the right wing, David Neres delivered a perfectly placed cross for Zambo Anguissa to leap and head home, securing a narrow victory for Napoli. A neat, well-timed moment, and enough for Antonio Conte's team to leave Lecce with three points, maintaining their lead in Serie A after nine rounds.

The turning point in the 69th minute: Anguissa decided the game.

Before Anguissa scored, Napoli were largely ineffective. Rare opportunities were missed, most notably Lucca's header wide after a cross from captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo. With Lecce playing deep, Napoli needed an alternative to central attacking combinations – and they found the solution in set pieces: Neres delivered a well-placed cross, Anguissa separated himself from his defender and capitalized.

That was also Anguissa's fourth goal in nine Serie A games this season – a figure reflecting his increasingly important role in penetrating the penalty area, in addition to his usual physical duties in midfield.

Conte switched to a 4-3-3 formation due to De Bruyne's injury.

Kevin De Bruyne's long-term injury (expected to miss almost the entire first half of the season) forced Conte to switch to a 4-3-3 formation. Scott McTominay was benched to manage his fitness during the demanding schedule of playing a match every three days, giving Billy Gilmour control of the midfield alongside Elif Elmas and Anguissa.

Gilmour's axis and Noa Lang's left wing

Without McTominay from the start, Napoli built their rhythm around Gilmour: receiving the ball early, changing direction, finding space in the center, and then pulling the ball out wide. Noa Lang, making his first start alongside Matteo Politano and Lucca, helped Napoli strengthen their attacking play on the left – the area where they focused their attacks after the 30th minute. However, finishing was lacking: several attacking moves were blocked by inaccurate final passes.

Lecce are lurking, waiting for mistakes and opportunities from the penalty spot.

Lecce opted for a slow pace, waiting for Napoli to make a mistake before counter-attacking. In the 25th minute, Mathias Olivera lost the ball in midfield, Pierotti seized it, initiating a quick transition that ended with Berisha's shot rattling Vanja Milinkovic-Savic's goal. In the second half, the home team had their biggest chance from the penalty spot, but Camarda failed to beat the Napoli goalkeeper.

Hojlund returns, McTominay comes on to lock down the midfield.

In the 61st minute, Rasmus Hojlund returned after missing three matches due to a muscle injury. A few minutes later, McTominay also came on, helping Napoli strengthen their midfield and tighten the tempo. From that point on, the visitors controlled the spaces better, minimizing Lecce's dangerous attacking moves.

After scoring the opening goal, Napoli proactively managed their risks: they pulled their formation back into a tight structure, controlled two-way challenges, and avoided losing possession in their own half – a lesson learned from Olivera's situation in the 25th minute. Conte's composure and defensive organization helped them preserve their slender advantage.

Selective statistics

• Anguissa scored 4 goals in 9 Serie A matches in the 2025/26 season.
• The goal came in the 69th minute, from a set-piece on the right wing, David Neres crossed and Anguissa headed it in.
• Rasmus Hojlund returned in the 61st minute after missing three matches due to a muscle injury.
• Napoli missed a clear chance when Lucca shot wide from Di Lorenzo's cross.
• Lecce missed a penalty when Camarda's shot was saved by Milinkovic-Savic.
• Conte rotated the squad: McTominay was benched at the start of the match to manage the workload of playing a match every three days.

Impact on the Serie A race

The hard-fought but valuable victory helped Napoli maintain their top spot after 9 rounds. With a packed schedule and the prolonged absence of De Bruyne, Conte's optimal resource allocation – assigning Gilmour a controlling role, utilizing Anguissa's attacking prowess, and leveraging the impact of Hojlund and McTominay from the bench – will be key to maintaining their winning momentum.

Next round, Napoli will face Cesc Fabregas's Como – another challenge amidst a packed schedule, and the requirement for a minimum victory could still be a familiar scenario.