Lukaku helps Napoli beat Como to top Serie A

Romelu Lukaku starred again for Napoli, scoring once and setting up two more goals in Friday’s 3-1 win over Como to make sure of top spot in Serie A for at least another week.

Belgium striker Lukaku laid on Scott McTominay for his first goal in Italy’s top flight after just 25 seconds, before netting from the spot seven minutes after halftime and rolling in David Neres as Napoli extended their league lead to four points.

Closest rivals Juventus can pull back to within a point of Napoli with a home win over Cagliari on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Lukaku has taken little time to settle down in Naples under Antonio Conte and has scored three times in five league appearances in which he has made four assists for the team which looks ready to challenge for the league title.

Napoli did not have it all their own way at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona as they were pushed hard by promoted Como.

Cesc Fabregas’s side were deservedly level at the break as a stunning long-range strike from Gabriel Strefezza found the target just moments after Nico Paz thumped a shot off the woodwork.

Until Neres rolled home his second Napoli goal in the 86th minute, following a brilliant slip by Lukaku, the match was firmly in the balance. Lukaku looks lighter on his feet than he has since winning Serie A with Inter Milan in 2021, and he also supplied the neat pass from which Scotland’s McTominay lashed in his second Napoli goal after netting against Palermo in the Italian Cup last month.

McTominay has been great since signing from Manchester United in the summer for Napoli, adding another dimension to the midfield for southern Italy’s biggest club.

Napoli have not lost since that shock defeat to the same Verona on the first day of the season. And under Conte, Napoli resemble much more the side that swept to their third Scudetto in 2023 than the disastrous outfit that last season failed to even qualify for European football as reigning champions. Como, bankrolled by powerful Indonesian tobacco giants Djarum, sit 10th on eight points after an encouraging start to their first Serie A season in 21 years.