NAPLES - Inter were narrowly beaten by Napoli at the San Paolo after a resilient display with ten men which saw them twice denied an equaliser in injury time.
Gonzalo Higuain fired the hosts ahead inside the first two minutes then doubled their advantage on the hour mark, but Adem Ljajic pulled one back for Inter in the 67th minute. Stevan Jovetic and Joao Miranda both had headers come back off the post in a frantic finale.
The Nerazzurri got off to the worst possible start. The game wasn't even 120 seconds old when Jeison Murillo's attempted clearance spun into the path of Jose Callejon. The Spaniard somehow squeezed it through to Higuain, whose finish was lethal.
Inter attempted to muster a response as Ljajic linked up well with Marcelo Brozovic and laid off to Ivan Perisic, but the Croat could manage no more than a wayward effort from out wide.
Napoli were trying to slow the pace in midfield while looking to their front three for inspiration but chances were at a premium.
Inter did get their noses forward on the half-hour mark when Mauro Icardi got on the end of Perisic's cross, only for the Azzurri defence to repel the shot. Fredy Guarin then lifted the follow-up chance over the bar from the edge of the box.
On 39 minutes Marek Hamsik teed up Higuain for another dig but Murillo was well placed to make the block. Down the other end Ljajic did well to find Perisic, but the former Wolfsburg man couldn't find the target.
Just before half time Yuto Nagatomo was shown his second of the match and Inter found themselves down to ten men.
Roberto Mancini restored some balance to the side during the interval by bringing on Alex Telles, with Icardi the man sacrificed and Ljajic taking up the lone striker role.
No sooner had the whistle sounded for the start of the second half than the Serbian skipped away down the left flank and picked out Brozovic on the edge of the box: sadly, the midfielder's finish lacked power. An unmarked Hamsik then headed into Samir Handanovic's arms from a tight angle.
Mancini looked to inject some pace by replacing Guarin with Jonathan Biabiany but a minute later Napoli doubled their lead. Raul Albiol played the ball over the top for Higuain to run onto, the Argentine managed to hold off Miranda and Murillo and fire past Handanovic.
Inter refused to roll over though and they reduced the arrears in the 67th minute through Ljajic. The Serbian showed neat control on the edge of the box before unleashing a low finish inside Pepe Reina's near post.
Nerazzurri knew the comeback was on but Napoli were still carving out chances and Murillo was alert to nip in ahead of Higuain and cut out Faouzi Ghoulam's cross for Higuain.
Inter pressed forward and Napoli backed off. Brozovic ran most of the pitch fending off the interest of Jorginho but his attempt finished wide.
Two minutes later Ljajic exchanged passes with Perisic before scuttling down to the byline only to pull his cross back too far behind his team-mates.
Mancini played his final card and threw on Jovetic for Perisic, while Maurizio Sarri tightened things up at the back with Christian Maggio replacing Callejon.
Shortly afterwards, Biabiany whipped a low cross into the danger zone looking for Ljajic: Reina rushed out and got there a fraction before him.
Higuain was on a mission to score his hattrick and he burst past three black and blue shirts before angling his finish across Handanovic, the Slovene getting the crucial touch to turn it around the post.
That heralded a quite incredible final few minutes. Danilo D'Ambrosio's pumped delivery into the box was met majestically in the air by Jovetic, but the Montenegrin's powerful header cannoned off the foot of the post. Then, with the seconds ticking down, Biabiany hooked another cross into the mixer and Miranda nodded goalwards with Reina somehow launching launch himself across goal and tipping the ball onto the post to keep the score intact.
Napoli 2-1 Inter (HT 1-0)
Scorers: Higuain 2, 63, Ljajic 67.
Napoli: 25 Reina; 2 Hysaj, 33 Albiol, 26 Koulibaly, 31 Ghoulam; 5 Allan, 8 Jorginho, 17 Hamsik (19 David Lopez 80); 7 Callejon (11 Maggio 87), 9 Higuain, 24 Insigne (77 El Kaddouri 69).
Subs not used: 1 Rafael, 22 Gabriel, 3 Strinic, 4 Henrique, 11 Maggio, 16 Valdifiori, 20 Dezi, 21 Chiriches, 77 El Kaddouri, 94 Chalobah, 96 Luperto.
Coach: Maurizio Sarri.
Inter: 1 Handanovic; 33 D'Ambrosio, 25 Miranda, 24 Murillo, 55 Nagatomo; 13 Guarin (11 Biabiany 61), 17 Medel, 77 Brozovic; 22 Ljajic, 9 Icardi (12 Telles 46), 44 Perisic (10 Jovetic 83).
Subs not used: 30 Carrizo, 5 Jesus, 6 Dodò, 8 Palacio, 10 Jovetic, 11 Biabiany, 12 Telles, 14 Montoya, 23 Ranocchia, 27 Gnoukouri, 83 Melo, 97 Manaj.
Coach: Roberto Mancini.
Booked: Koulibaly 11, Nagatomo 34, Hysaj 35, Guarin 56, Allan 56, Callejon 84.
Sent off: Nagatomo 44.
Added time: 2+4 minutes.
Referee: Orsato.
Assistants: Manganelli, Meli.
Fourth official: Di Liberatore.
Additional assistants: Mazzoleni, Celi.
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LE PAROLE DI MANCINI POST NAPOLI INTER
