Scott McTominay continued his stellar debut season in Italy with a decisive brace against Empoli, helping Napoli reduce the points gap to Serie A leaders Inter Milan to just three.
The Scotland midfielder, who joined Napoli last summer, has now reached a personal best of eight league goals in a campaign.
Napoli took an early lead in the 18th minute when McTominay drilled a low shot from the edge of the box after a clever assist from Romelu Lukaku.
The Belgium striker doubled the lead early in the second half with a thunderous finish past Empoli goalkeeper Devis Vasquez, marking his 12th goal of the league season.
McTominay struck again minutes later, connecting with a delicate Lukaku cross to head the ball into the net off the underside of the bar. The midfielder came close to a hat-trick but was denied by the post after Lukaku selflessly set him up for another chance.
The win leaves Napoli in second place, three points behind Inter Milan, with six games remaining as they chase their second Scudetto in three years. Meanwhile, struggling Empoli remain 19th in the table and two points away from safety.
Napoli’s next challenge comes against bottom-side Monza on Saturday, while Inter face a pivotal clash against Champions League hopefuls Bologna on Sunday.
