Napoli Hold Leaders Lazio 1-1 as Pedraza Own Goal Cancels Out Frattesi Strike

Serie A leaders Lazio dropped points for only the second time this season on Sunday, held 1-1 by Napoli at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona after an own goal by half time substitute Alfonso Pedraza cancelled out Davide Frattesi's first half strike.

Frattesi put Lazio ahead in the 28th minute of the Matchday 11 fixture. He raced on to a through ball from Tijjani Noslin and finished past the Napoli goalkeeper for his fourth goal of the season. The goal rewarded a strong opening from the visitors, who had already forced Vanja Milinkovic-Savic into diving saves from Gustav Isaksen and Josip Sutalo. At the other end, Lazio goalkeeper Christos Mandas denied Rasmus Hojlund before the break, and Lazio carried their lead into half time.

The equaliser

Napoli levelled three minutes after the restart, in the 48th minute, and the goal came from a Lazio player. Pedraza had come on at half time to replace the injured Nuno Tavares. When Noa Lang delivered a cross into the area, Pedraza turned the ball into his own net, and the match was level at 1-1 with most of the second half still to play.

Late pressure, no winner

Napoli pushed hardest for a winner in the closing stages. Scott McTominay tested Mandas with a low shot, and Kevin De Bruyne saw a shot charged down, with the rebound cleared off the line by Reda Belahyane. Lazio held on for the point that keeps them top of the table.

The draw ended Lazio's six game winning streak, but they remain unbeaten this season. They move to 29 points and stay two points clear at the top of Serie A. Napoli sit in 10th place, 14 points behind Lazio, a gap that underlines how far the home side have fallen from the title pace this season.

Context for Napoli

Napoli came into the match under pressure. They had lost to Juventus and to Porto in their previous matches, and those results saw the squad sent into a training retreat before this fixture. A draw against the league leaders stops the run of defeats, but it does not close the gap at the top, and Napoli remain in mid table.

Attention now turns to the rest of the Matchday 11 programme. Inter Milan play Como later on Sunday, and a win for Inter would cut Lazio's lead at the top to a single point. Lazio, for their part, will take the point from a difficult away ground and protect a lead that has survived its hardest test of recent weeks.