League leaders AC Milan’s second consecutive draw handed the advantage to rivals Inter Milan. The Nerazzurri are now only two points behind the Rossoneri with a game in hand.
2021/22 Serie A top 3
| # | Team | Matches played | Goal difference | Points |
| 1 | AC Milan | 32 | +27 | 68 |
| 2 | Milan | 31 | +41 | 66 |
| 3 | Napoli | 32 | +32 | 66 |
The Serie A is the host to Europe’s most thrilling title race this season, with three sides separated by two points with six weeks to go. The lead rests with AC Milan, but the advantage with their rivals Inter Milan – who could go top if they win their game in hand against Bologna.
Milan led the league before the weekend, and while they came out of it with their position intact, their 0-0 draw against Torino allowed Inter to cut the gap to just two points. Stefano Pioli’s side were blunt in the attacking third, with right-back Davide Calabria at the end of his team’s best chances to score in the first half.
Meanwhile, Torino were threatening on the counter-attack, and nearly scored on either side of the break through Samuele Ricci and Mergim Vojvoda.
Rafael Leao went close after the interval; the attacker left defender David Zima in his wake, then took a touch to take the ball past goalkeeper Etrit Berisha but had his shot blocked by Gleison Bremer. As did Sandro Tonali, 15 minutes from full-time, racing into space to latch onto Junior Messias’s through-pass, but he, too, failed to put the ball in the net – his shot, held by Etrit Berisha.
Milan’s draw allowed Napoli to rest easy. Luciano Spalletti’s men risked falling behind in the title race after they lost 3-2 to ACF Fiorentina. Nico Gonzalez put La Viola ahead in the 29th minute by smashing the loose ball into the top corner from the middle of the box, but Dries Mertens levelled matters after the pause with a well-taken finish from outside the box.
Six minutes past the hour-mark, January signing Jonathan Ikone arrowed the ball into the bottom corner from the left side of the box for his first league goal in Italian football, and it was another one of Fiorentina’s winter arrivals who sealed the points; Arthur Cabral – brought in to replace Dusan Vlahovic – put his team 3-1 ahead with a curled finish into the far corner.
Napoli forward Victor Osimhen pulled a goal back in the 84th minute to ensure a thrilling end to the game, but La Viola held on, denting the Azzurri’s title hopes in the process.
