Napoli overcame Genoa 2-1 at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona
Rasmus Hojlund scored the decisive goal after an early equaliser
Genoa initially led with a goal from Jeff Ekhator
Napoli's win marks their return to Serie A's top position
Rasmus Hojlund continued his impressive goalscoring form as Napoli came from behind to secure a 2-1 victory over Genoa on Sunday.
A heavily rotated Napoli side were almost gifted an early lead in the seventh minute at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, when Alessandro Marcandalli’s mistimed lobbed back-pass bounced just wide of the post.
Despite dominating possession, Antonio Conte’s side went into half-time trailing after Genoa took an unlikely lead, courtesy of Jeff Ekhator, who combined with Brooke Norton-Cuffy before flicking the ball past Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.
Napoli were then hit by a series of injuries, with Stanislav Lobotka and Matteo Politano both forced off, prompting Conte to turn to his bench after the break.
Frank Anguissa brought Napoli level minutes before the hour mark, heading home after Genoa failed to clear their lines from Leonardo Spinazzola’s cross amid a scramble in the box.
Napoli pressed hard for a winner from there, with Genoa goalkeeper Nicola Leali reacting brilliantly to deny Spinazzola before Hojlund saw a goal ruled out for offside during the build-up.
The hosts eventually completed the comeback 15 minutes from time as Kevin de Bruyne’s whipped cross was set up for Anguissa, whose initial shot was saved by Leali, only for Hojlund to calmly tap in the rebound.
The win sees Napoli reclaim the Serie A summit from Roma, though Milan could overtake them if they beat Juventus later on Sunday. Meanwhile, Genoa remain in 19th.
Data Debrief: Napoli bounce back after Milan loss
After their 16-match unbeaten run ended with a defeat to Milan last time out, Napoli responded strongly on Sunday despite conceding first.
This marked their first Serie A win after falling behind in a match since January 2025 against Juventus (four games without a win).
The hosts registered 1.10 expected goals (xG) on Sunday, comfortably outdoing Genoa’s 0.44 xG.
But at just 18 years and 328 days, Ekhator became the youngest player to score away from home against Napoli in Serie A since Andrea Pirlo in January 1998 with Brescia (18 years and 244 days).
