Scott McTominay to the fore again as Napoli strengthen grip on Serie A title race

The Scotland midfielder won the penalty which earned his side a vital 2-1 win at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium after Juventus had taken a half-time lead. It was another key contribution from the 28-year-old Tartan Army favourite following his crucial goal in the statement 3-2 away win over title rivals Atalanta last weekend.

McTominay has established himself as a pivotal figure for Gli Azzurri since making his summer move from Manchester United, contributing five goals and four assists in 19 Serie A appearances. Handed a key starting role on a weekly basis by head coach Antonio Conte, he has quickly established cult hero status among the Napoli fans for his all-action displays.

Juventus took the lead through Randal Kolo Muani two minutes before half-time but Napoli rallied after the break with André-Frank Zambo Anguissa heading home an equaliser on 57 minutes before McTominay's delightful touch in the box saw him taken down by Manuel Locatelli.

Romelu Lukaku converted the spot-kick to send Napoli six points clear of second-placed Inter, who play the first of their two games in hand away to Lecce on Sunday, with Atalanta a point further back having played the same number of games.

McTominay's Scotland team-mate Billy Gilmour was again listed among the Napoli substitutes before being brought off the bench in the 89th minute as a replacement for Stanislav Lobotka.

Gilmour has only had a total of 11 minutes of action in Napoli's last eight fixtures as he struggles to oust Lobotka from the starting role in the centre of the midfield three alongside McTominay and Anguissa.

Elsewhere in Serie A, there was a battle of the Scots at the Carlo Castellani Stadium where Liam Henderson's Empoli hosted Lewis Ferguson's Bologna.

The match ended in a 1-1 draw with Henderson named among the Empoli starters before being withdrawn in the 58th minute while Ferguson was named on the bench for Bologna after his midweek Champions League exertions where he captained his side to a 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund. Ferguson came off the bench in the 74th minute but was unable to conjur up a winner for his side, who climbed up to sixth in the table while Empoli sit 14th, two points above the relegation zone.