Serie A: Napoli 4-0 Cremonese — De Bruyne, McTominay on Target as Inter Title Wait Goes On

Napoli thrash Cremonese

Scott McTominay scored his ninth Serie A goal as Napoli crushed Cremonese 4-0. Hojlund, De Bruyne and Alisson Santos also netted to move Antonio Conte’s side to second, nine points off Inter.

De Bruyne Strikes as Napoli Crush Cremonese to put Inter title celebrations on hold. The win puts Napoli second but they remain nine points behind Inter with a game in hand...

SSC Napoli kept their slim Serie A title hopes alive with an emphatic 4-0 victory over relegation-threatened US Cremonese at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Antonio Conte’s side were clearly eager to respond after their first home Serie A defeat of the season last weekend, and Cremonese’s defence was under pressure from the start.

 

Just two minutes in, the hosts spurned a pair of golden chances. Emil Audero produced an impressive block to deny Scott McTominay before Rasmus Højlund blazed narrowly over the bar from a great position.

Napoli didn’t have to wait long, though. A minute later, McTominay found the net with an excellent 20-yard strike for his ninth league goal of the season.

The hosts continued to dominate as the first half wore on, and it was no surprise when the Azzurri doubled their lead before half-time. Højlund’s heavily deflected effort trickled into the bottom corner.

It got worse for Marco Giampaolo’s side before the break, as Napoli added a third moments later.

McTominay acrobatically kept the ball in play before Kevin De Bruyne dispossessed Youssef Maleh and steered home from close range, sending the home crowd into raptures.

  

The points were all but sealed seven minutes into the second half when the hosts grabbed a fourth from a lightning-quick counter-attack.

The Azzurri run riot at the Maradona! 🍿🔥#NapoliCremonese pic.twitter.com/KtA3hZlWH6

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) April 24, 2026

Alisson Santos collected the ball from Vanja Milinkovic-Savic deep in his own half, drove through Cremonese’s central defence on a superb solo run, and fired home with training-ground composure.

With the game wrapped up, the one-way traffic continued until the final whistle. Audero made an excellent save to deny substitute Billy Gilmour, while Amir Rrahmani’s header struck the woodwork.

 

Conte’s side were awarded a penalty for handball with just under 10 minutes left, but McTominay’s tame spot kick was saved. It didn’t matter - the damage was already done.

The emphatic win lifts Napoli to second in the Serie A table. Still, the defending champions sit nine points behind league leaders Inter Milan, who have a game in hand.

Kevin de Bruyne is the Panini Player of the Match! 🏆#NapoliCremonese pic.twitter.com/AccRUvf89L

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) April 24, 2026

Meanwhile, Cremonese’s dreadful run keeps them deep in the relegation battle. With just one win in their last 20 matches, La Cremo stay one place above the drop zone thanks to a better head-to-head record over US Lecce.