With this triumph, Napoli has overtaken the Rossoneri on the league table and taken second place, effectively extinguishing Massimiliano Allegri's team's last hopes of challenging the leading Inter in the Scudetto race.
The first 45 minutes offered a true tactical battle with several solid chances in front of both goals. Milan threatened first more concretely in the 13th minute when Strahinja Pavloviฤ rose highest from a free-kick cross, but his header went wide of the right post.
The hosts responded ten minutes later through Leonardo Spinazzola, who found himself in a good position, but his long-range shot went wide of the goal.
In the 35th minute, Christopher Nkunku had a good opportunity, but the ball flew a few centimeters past Napoli's left post, so the half ended with an unpopular 0:0.
In the second half, Napoli started more determinedly in pursuit of all three points. Already in the 51st minute, Giovane struck dangerously from the edge of the penalty area, but Maignan was up to the task and made a brilliant save to deflect the ball for a corner.
The key moment of the match occurred in the 74th minute when Matteo Politano came on in place of Leonardo Spinazzola. Just five minutes later, Politano brilliantly followed up the play, collected a rebound inside the box, and with a precise shot beat the Milan goalkeeper, sparking an eruption of joy in the stands and giving Napoli a 1:0 lead.
Massimiliano Allegri threw all his cards into attack in the final stages, but Napoli's defense withstood all the onslaughts.
With this victory, Napoli moved into 2nd place with 65 points, while Milan fell to third with 63 points and is now further away from the Scudetto. The leading Inter has 72 points, and only a miracle can prevent them from winning another Scudetto.
Result and scorer: Napoli - Milan 1:0 (Politano 79')