Napoli put Bologna to the sword in a 3-1 victory at the Stadio San Paolo on Saturday.
Arkadiusz Milik came off the bench to net another double that ensured Maurizio Sarri’s men emerged victorious over Roberto Donadoni’s Bologna.
Prior to the Pole’s brace, José Callejón scored with a cushioned header in the first half, before Simone Verdi’s blast from distance restored parity shortly after the break.
To compound matters further for the away side, Swedish defender Emil Krafth was sent off for a last man challenge on Piotr Zielinski.
Napoli currently sit atop of the Serie A standings with 10 points after four matches, while Bologna sit ninth with six.
Napoli
Pepe Reina – 6: Made an excellent stop in the first half, though was at fault for Bologna’s goal.
Elseid Hysaj – 6.5: Was his usual energetic self on the right-hand side of Napoli’s back four. Showed consistency and solidity without standing out.
Raúl Albiol – 6: Did not have a lot of defending to do, though gave the ball away more times than necessary.
Kalidou Koulibaly – 7: Solid and reliable when called upon, the 25-year-old continues to become increasingly pivotal to Sarri’s side.
Ivan Strinic – 6.5: Was consistent in his one-on-one defending, however offered very little going forward.
Marek Hamšík – 8: The Partenopei skipper was once again crucial to his side’s play, being the main creative outlet in the middle of the park and bossing the midfield in yet another outstanding display.
Jorginho – 7: Glued the midfield together and made some vital interventions to ensure the away side did not create too many chances.
Piotr Zielinski – 7.5: The Pole was another creative outlet who utilised much of his play to great effect, and did an excellent job shifting into Jorginho’s role for the final 15 minutes.
José Callejón – 7: Got on the end of Lorenzo Insigne’s searching cross to smartly head home. Currently leads the Capocannoniere race with five goals.
Manolo Gabbiadini – 5.5: Failed to offer a presence up front and rarely threatened Bologna’s goal before being substituted on the hour mark.
Lorenzo Insigne – 7.5: Was spectacular and lively, especially in the first half, running at opposition defenders and creating multiple chances, one of which was a brilliant assist for Callejón.
Substitutes
Arkadiusz Milik – 8.5: The match-winner once again with a double, came on in the last half hour and changed the game in Napoli’s favour with his dynamism and determination.
Faouzi Ghoulam – 7.5: Offered a new avenue for Napoli to attack down the left, linking up well with Insigne.
Allan – 7: Came on the pitch with 15 minutes to go and provided plenty of power and energy.
Bologna
Angelo da Costa – 6: Was largely reliable, apart from not getting a strong enough hand to Milik’s second strike.
Emil Krafth – 7: Provided some vital interventions and did not get beaten often. The Swede did receive his marching orders late in the game, however.
Daniele Gastaldello – 6: Arguably at fault for allowing Milik to get past him for Napoli’s second.
Marios Oikonomou – 6.5: Shut down Gabbiadini well in the first half, though stood off other opponents too often.
Vasilis Torosidis – 6: The former AS Roma man allowed Callejón too much space in putting his first-half header goalward.
Saphir Taïder – 6: The Algerian failed to make an imprint upon the game and was largely anonymous in the middle of midfield.
Ádám Nagy – 6.5: Was consistent with his distribution before being substituted. The Hungarian constantly sought to start attacks and was always an option in midfield.
Blerim Dzemaili – 6.5: Despite also not providing much of an impact in the Rossoblu midfield, the 30-year-old made a few bursts forward and showed ambition.
Federico Di Francesco – 6.5: Was largely kept in check by Ivan Strinic and Faouzi Ghoulam.
Simone Verdi – 7: One of the few players who looked to create something for Bologna, hit a blistering shot from distance that got the better of Pepe Reina.
Ladislav Krejcí – 7: The Czech completed a few tricky dribbles and occasionally got past Hysaj.
Substitutes
Godfred Donsah – 6: The Ghanaian failed to provide an impact off the bench.
Luca Rizzo – 6.5: Got involved in a late Bologna attack, powering his way down the right flank and nearly scoring.
Adam Masina – N/A
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