In a vital match for both teams at this stage of the season Napoli managed to come out victors in a close 2-1 affair at the Stadio San Paolo.
There is a mass of teams within one game of each other in the table, which is why Torino would have been keen for a positive showing to keep them in the top 10 of the Serie A.
The win for Napoli means they remain in third place and just one point off the lead, but more importantly keeping Italian giants Juventus behind them by two.
Defensive-midfield switch did not hurt Napoli
Maurizio Sarri had a very different defensive-midfield set up in this match, with Jorginho not appearing in the squad and Allan joining the fold off the bench after 74 minutes.
It meant that David Lopez and Mirko Valdifiori started, an interesting move based on some of their struggles during this season. Particularly Valdifiori, who is new to the Stadio San Paolo and came with Sarri at the beginning of the year.
Although the visitors had periods of sustained pressure, the screening pair managed to hold their own and help guide Napoli to victory.
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Defeat costs Torino in mid-table battle
The middle of the Seire table is packed at the season’s halfway point, with Atalanta in ninth and Bologna in 15th separated by just the two points. Although Torino have a game in hand over most of the teams ahead of them, a win would have allowed them to sit in ninth spot and rest a little easier this week.
However, now they are in a tough battle for the middle of the table and are trying once again to break into the top 10, a situation no club wants to be in when everyone gets desperate for wins.
Higuain actually kept scoreless
As strange as it is to say, Gonzalo Higuain did not trouble the score sheet at all with an assist or goal, which has been very unusual this season.
With all the goals being scored before the half time break, the result makes it one step harder for Higuain to reach the all-time record tally in a single Serie A season.
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Insigne still in form
This is something that most Napoli fans and followers are used to hearing, which is that Lorenzo Insigne was vital to the Azzurri win in this match.
The 24-year-old scored the first goal to give the hosts the lead and even after they conceded a penalty, Insigne came up with the goods again. This time he provided the assist for Marek Hamsik just before the halftime break, proving to be the final goal that separated these teams.
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