Napoli earned a hard fought 2-1 home victory over a stubborn Genoa side at the Stadio San Paolo on Monday evening.
Gonzalo Higuain opened the scoring early for the home team after Mattia Perin’s fumbled save fell right into his path.
Genoa controlled large parts of the first 45 minutes and continued to take charge of proceedings as the second half progressed. They deservedly equalised in the 56th minute through Iago Falqué who was allowed far too much space on the edge of the host’s box.
Napoli were awarded a very soft penalty midway through the second half which was neatly tucked away by Higuain to secure an important three points for the home side who move up to third in the Serie A table.
Napoli
Rafael – 6.5 – Reliable
Looked comfortable on the few occasions when he was called upon, the Brazilian was not really at fault for the Genoa goal and can be pleased with a reliable performance.
Christian Maggio – 6.5 – Steady
Unassuming if steady performance from the Italian who went about his duties without any fuss although he did struggle when he found himself one on one against Perotti.
Kalidou Koulibaly – 6 – Vulnerable
Looked vulnerable in the first half when the visitors put him under pressure and made some increasingly reckless challenges as the game wore on which eventually earned him a booking and a suspension for Napoli’s next fixture against Chievo.
Raúl Albiol – 6.5 – Assured
Caught out for pace a few times by the tricky Genoa front line in an otherwise assured display from the centre back. Won his team a second half penalty in dubious circumstances.
Ivan Strinic – 7 – Dynamic
Got forward and supported his team’s attackers well on the overlap, the Croatian looks like a decent mid-season signing for the Partenopei.
Gokhan Inler – 6 – Aggressive
It was an aggressive display in the centre of the park from the midfield battler. The Swiss broke up Geona play and was rarely beaten in a tackle although he did give the ball away on several occasions and should have closed Iago down quicker on Genoa’s goal.
David López – 6.5 – Adequate
The former Espanyol midfielder didn’t set this game alight but he performed his duties adequately and got forward a few times to support his teamates further up the field. Saw an effort clip the cross bar in the second half.
José Callejón – 7 – Lively
The Spaniard was lively in the opening stages when he ran at Genoa and played an important part in Higuain’s goal. Continued to get into dangerous positions although he disappeared towards the end of the match.
Marek Hamšík – 6 – Anonymous
Looked somewhat anonymous in the first 45 minutes and missed a good opportunity on the half hour mark. Contributed nothing on note in the second half in a display that will have done nothing to silence his growing number of detractors.
Jonathan de Guzmán – 6.5 – Unlucky
Found plenty of space in the attacking third, the Dutchman should have doubled Napoli’s lead just before half time when he got through one on one with Perin but his shot was lifted up over the cross bar. Saw another effort cleared off the line later in the match.
Gonzalo Higuain – 8 – Dangerous
The Argentine pounced on Perin’s weak save to open the scoring in the seventh minute although he was fortunate not to be ruled offside. Looked dangerous all game and expertly buried the penalty to secure all three points for his team.
Substitutes
Manolo Gabbiadini – 6.5 – Committed
Replaced De Guzman with 20 minutes remaining the new arrival gave a committed performance.
Miguel Britos – N/A
Brought on near the end to tighten up the Napoli back line.
Duván Zapata – N/A
Genoa
Mattia Perin – 5 – Shaky
Looked uncharacteristically shaky early on and paid for it by gifting Higuain an easy tap in after he could not hold Callejón’s rasping shot. The youngster lacked confidence and continued to make mistakes as the contest progressed. This was not the kind of performance we’ve come to expect from the 22-year-old.
Facundo Roncaglia – 5.5 – Struggled
Struggled to keep Higuain under control throughout the match and was involved in a constant battle with his fellow countryman.
Nicolás Burdisso – 6.5 – Determined
Solid and determined performance from the veteran who kept his side in the contest with a last ditch goal line clearence early in the second half.
Sebastian De Maio – 6 – Unfortunate
Closed down well throughout the match, the Frenchman was very unfortunate to concede the controversial penalty which consigned his team to defeat.
Edenílson – 6 – Inconsistant
Was lively in the first half when he made some dangerous runs into the Napoli box. However, the Brazilian went missing after the half time break and wasn’t nearly as effective.
Tomás Rincón – 5.5 – Toiled
The Colombian pitbull toiled away in the engine room but he often struggled to stop the oppositions superior midfield from operating. Threw himself about and was lucky not to get booked.
Andrea Bertolacci – 7 – Tenacious
A tenacious display from the Italian who was at his best when powering forward from midfield. Unfortunate to pick up a booking after going into a 50/50 challenge with Napoli keeper Rafael.
Luca Antonelli – 6.5 – Powered
The Grifone skipper powered up and down the left flank in typical style as he provided his team with an important attacking outlet in wide areas.
Iago Falqué – 7.5 – Cool
Scored his fifth goal of the season, using fancy footwork to create space on the edge of the box before coolly slotting the ball into the bottom corner.
Giannis Fetfatzidis – 6 – Faded
Made a promising start to the match the Greek attacker faded badly and was not helped by being played in an unfamiliar centre forward role. Replaced by Niang early in the second half.
Diego Perotti – 6.5 – Tricky
Made things happen for Genoa going forward with his clever movement off the ball and trickery on it. He did become slightly isolated as the second half progressed.
Substitutes
M’Baye Niang – 6 – Eager
The club’s new loan signing from AC Milan was lively when he came on and looked eager to show what he can do having spent the first half of the season sitting on the Rossoneri’s bench.
Juraj Kucka – 6.5 – Energetic
Almost scored with a flicked on header from a corner after Genoa had gone 2-1 down, the Slovak caused problems with his bustling energy.
Maxime Lestienne – N/A
Brought on with ten minutes left as the visitors chased a late equaliser.
