Petagna stunner ends Napoli's rotten home run against Sampdoria

An acrobatic Andrea Petagna effort earned Napoli a 1-0 win over Sampdoria on Sunday to keep Luciano Spalletti's side in the hunt for the Serie A title and end their three-match losing run at home.

The Italian striker guided a volley into the top corner after 43 minutes as the hosts finally made their pressure count.

- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
- Don't have ESPN? Get instant access

It was a welcome victory for the Neapolitans after a run of one win in their last six league outings and three straight league defeats at home.

The result left Napoli third with 43 points, five behind leaders AC Milan, while Samp are 15th with 20 points.

Juan Jesus had a headed goal disallowed for offside following a VAR review, while Emil Audero was called into action to deny an Amir Rrahmani strike and Faouzi Ghoulam free kick before Petagna's opener.

Napoli captain Lorenzo Insigne, who agreed a deal to join Toronto FC at the end of the season on Friday, limped off after half an hour after pulling up from a sprint with an apparent groin problem.

Elsewhere, Luis Muriel struck twice as Atalanta won 6-2 against an Udinese side missing 12 players through COVID-19, keeping the Bergamo side in fourth, two points behind Napoli.

Giacomo Raspadori and substitute Gianluca Scamacca both scored braces as Sassuolo hammered Empoli 5-1 to draw level with the Tuscans on 28 points, but move ahead of them into ninth place on head-to-head record.