Antonio Conte was pleased Napoli responded to his plea for improvement by claiming a 1-0 win over Torino in Serie A on Sunday.
Napoli got back to winning ways last weekend with a 1-0 home win over Roma and maintained that momentum thanks to Scott McTominay's strike after suffering a 3-0 loss to Atalanta followed by a 1-1 draw at Inter earlier in November.
The Partenopei have now beaten Torino 52 times in Serie A, and only against Lazio (54), have they won more games in the Italian top-flight (52, also against Fiorentina).
Despite that slight dip, Napoli remain top of the standings, four points clear of the teams below them.
"I have a group of guys who really understand when I ask them to improve. This is the aspect I like the most, beyond the result and the standings," Conte told a press conference.
"We are growing as individuals and as a team... Torino are a great team. I was really afraid of this game. I lived in Turin for more than thirty years. I warned the guys, [and got] a mature response."
Torino keeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, brilliant throughout the day, dived to keep out a low back-heel shot by Romelu Lukaku, who made his 350th start in the top five European leagues, that could have opened the scoring for Napoli in the 23rd minute.
The Serbia goalkeeper showed off his reflexes again when he stretched to deny Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's header one minute later and continued to thwart Napoli's attack after the restart.
"Sometimes you take refuge in the result. Today we created, but there was a great goalkeeper who prevented us from being more relaxed at the end," Conte added.
McTominay eventually found a way past the Torino keeper in the 31st minute when he struck a shot powerfully inside the near post.
"He is a boy who was not a protagonist at [Manchester] United. I knew him well because I frequented the Premier League, he has quality," Conte said.
"We were lucky because he agreed to come in a situation in which we were not playing in Europe, having finished in 10th place. He could have seen Napoli as a demotion, instead, he came to be a protagonist."
Despite his satisfaction with the result and his side's growing form, the Italian coach pointed out that Napoli will need reinforcements if they keep up their good form and return to Europe next season.
"Looking at the other teams, how they've equipped themselves also in view of the commitments in Europe, and if we were to be good at getting into Europe, you will have to strengthen this squad... The president must know that," he said.
"Today we have 21 outfield players, and we have done what a team that only plays in the league and the Italian Cup does."
Mount Pleasant crush Molynes United 4-0 to go top Jamaica Premier League table
Mount Pleasant FA delivered a commanding performance on Sunday, defeating Molynes United 4-0 at Drax Hall to reclaim the top spot in the Jamaica Premier League standings. The victory, their third in succession, extended Mount Pleasant's unbeaten streak.
Substitute Shaqueil Bradford starred with a second-half double, breaking the resistance of a Molynes team that had come into the match on a two-game winning run. The win puts Mount Pleasant on 25 points from 12 games, while Molynes remain in 12th place with 10 points, precariously just one point above the relegation zone.
Mount Pleasant could have taken the lead earlier, but Daniel Green missed a penalty in the 35th minute. However, the home side eventually found the breakthrough in the 56th minute when Raheem Edwards slotted home. Bradford then took over, scoring twice in quick succession in the 66th and 74th minutes, before Nicholas Nelson rounded off the victory with an 83rd-minute goal.
Tivoli Gardens secured back-to-back wins for the first time this season, edging Chapelton Maroons 3-2 at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex. Goals from Nickalia Fuller (11') and Kavan Wilson (34') gave Tivoli an early 2-0 lead, but Leaughn Williams (38') and Jahvon James (60') brought Chapelton level. With the game finely poised, Shaquille Jones scored the decisive goal in the 78th minute, lifting Tivoli to eighth place with 13 points.
Dunbeholden United staged a dramatic comeback at home, scoring twice late to earn a 3-3 draw against Portmore United. The visitors appeared to be cruising, leading 3-1 after goals from Tarick Ximines (18'), Nickoy Gayle (49'), and Emilio Rosseau (72'). Dunbeholden, however, refused to go quietly. Chantamoi Taylor (61') gave them a lifeline, followed by strikes from Shakeen Powell (75') and Chevoy Watkin (90+1'), rescuing a point in added time.
At the Ferdie Neita Sports Complex, Racing United and Humble Lion played to a 1-1 draw. Nickyle Ellis opened the scoring for Racing United in the 47th minute, but Roshane Sharpe equalized in the 58th minute, ensuring both teams shared the spoils.
Mount Pleasant’s dominant display and unbeaten streak keep them in pole position as the league heats up. With more exciting fixtures ahead, the race for the Jamaica Premier League title continues to intensify.
Bayern can cope without Kane, claims Kompany
Bayern Munich have enough talented players to replace the injured Harry Kane, so says Vincent Kompany.
The England captain, who has netted 20 goals across all competitions this season, suffered a thigh injury in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Borussia Dortmund.
Kane is expected to be out for a couple of weeks but Kompany is hopeful the England captain could still return to action before the winter break.
Bayern are top of the Bundesliga with a four-point lead over Eintracht Frankfurt.
"It is difficult to say at this moment but there is a chance for him to still play this year," Kompany told reporters ahead of Bayern's DFB-Pokal clash with holders and reigning Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen.
"But he will miss several games and to replace him, you know you cannot replace the goals or the player one-for-one. That's why he is a top player."
Thomas Muller, Serge Gnabry, Michael Olise and Leroy Sane have enough experience to fill the gap, according to Kompany.
"We have talent in the team and need to solve it differently. We won't be lacking talent tomorrow but it will look different," Kompany explained.
"We have many options. Thomas Muller, Mathys Tel, Gnabry, Olise, Leroy. I now named almost everyone. Obviously, Harry has scored 20 goals, but we have dangerous players in attack."
Bayern last won the DFB-Pokal in 2020 and have failed to get past the quarter-finals since, losing in the second round in three of the past four seasons.
"We play the holders. One of the top two or three games in Germany, and I hope our performance will match the importance of the game," Kompany said.
"We have played against almost every team in the league now. Leverkusen's squad is one of the best.
"They defend very deep and did the same against us in our first meeting this season. I don't know if they will approach things in a similar way. I hope that we will build on our strengths and concentrate on ourselves, no matter how Leverkusen play."
Premier League MD13: Lucky winners and unlucky losers
Liverpool are now nine points clear at the top of the Premier League, after claiming a 2-0 win over Manchester City at Anfield.
It is fair to say the Reds, who accumulated 3.3 expected goals and had 18 shots, were more than worthy of their victory on Sunday, as City lost a fourth straight league match.
But was that the case across the board this weekend? Which teams were unlucky, and which sides got lucky, when comparing the underlying metrics to their actual results?
Here, we use Opta data to find out.
Unlucky losers: Everton
The away end at Old Trafford was mostly empty by the time full-time rolled around on Sunday, as Manchester United claimed their first league win under new boss Ruben Amorim in style, beating Everton 4-0.
But it's fair to say that Sean Dyche's team had started brightly, albeit without offering too much in the way of a threat. United's opening two goals came via a deflection and then a mistake from Jarrad Branthwaite, who was heavily linked with a move to the Red Devils in the summer.
While Everton cannot be considered unfortunate to lose, the metrics do suggest United were far more clinical than would have been anticipated based on the chances that came their way, as Joshua Zirkzee and Marcus Rashford both netted doubles.
United created just 1.0 xG, while having 11 shots, just three more than the Toffees. Amorim's side took all three of their big chances (defined as an opportunity from which a player would reasonably be expected to score). Everton had only 13 touches in United's box, though, as for all their bright play in the opening 30 minutes, they failed to make any real inroads.
Lucky winners: Newcastle United
Newcastle did not get all three points against Crystal Palace on Saturday, though they were just moments away from doing so. Daniel Munoz headed home late on after connecting with a cross from Marc Guehi, who had bundled in an own goal to give the Magpies the lead.
Yet Newcastle should really consider themselves fortunate to come away with even a point, considering the match metrics.
Eddie Howe claimed his team were in control, yet they failed to have a single shot on target, had only one attempt throughout the entire match and finished with 0.04 xG - by some distance the lowest of any Premier League team this weekend.
Palace's 1.8 xG was the fifth-highest total, on the other hand. The Eagles had 16 attempts, meaning their per-shot xG of 0.11 was higher than Newcastle's entire xG across the match.
Unlucky losers: Brighton
Brighton were left to rue some missed opportunities as they drew 1-1 with Southampton in Friday's south coast derby.
The Seagulls accumulated 1.7 xG and had 22 shots, which is at least four more than any other team in the division across the weekend's matches, while their 44 touches in the opposition box was also a league-high.
Yet they could not build on Kaoru Mitoma's opener, and were ultimately punished when Flynn Downes netted just before the hour.
Southampton created 1.0 xG, so it is not as though they were unworthy of at least a goal, but Fabian Hurzeler will no doubt believe his team should have been out of sight.
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