Burnley regained their place in the Premier League at the first attempt after defeating Middlesbrough 2-1 on Friday.
A 19-game unbeaten league run has moved the Clarets 19 points clear of third-placed Luton Town, who have only six games left in the Championship.
Napoli squeeze past Lecce ahead Milan Champions League showdown
Napoli needed an unfortunate Antonino Gallo own goal to get their Serie A title bid back on track with a 2-1 win at Lecce on Friday, with a Champions League clash against AC Milan looming.
Gallo’s unwitting backpass from a Mario Rui cross slipped through the fingers of surprised Lecce goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone midway through the second half, putting Napoli 19 points clear of nearest challengers Lazio.
After Federico Di Francesco’s powerful finish cancelled out Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s 18th-minute header, the hosts were deservedly level with Napoli at the Stadio Via del Mare.
Di Francesco’s second league goal of the season was his team’s first since mid-February and had a tired-looking Napoli at risk of slipping to another defeat after being hammered 4-0 by champions AC Milan last weekend.
Instead, Lecce stay eight points above the relegation zone in 16th while Napoli take another step towards a historic Scudetto with their seventh straight league away win, earned without top scorer Victor Osimhen.
“It wasn’t easy getting the result after that defeat (to Milan)… this result gives us some comfort ahead of the coming matches,” Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti told DAZN.
Nigeria forward Osimhen might be back for Wednesday’s first leg of the all-Italian quarter-final with third-placed Milan — who face Empoli in Friday’s late match — but they look to have lost his replacement Giovanni Simeone to a thigh injury suffered late on.
“Osimhen wants to play every match… but these are situations that need to be assessed properly,” added Spalletti.
“Right now he needs to do some proper training because all he’s done is some basic running.”
Discussion about this post