Rasmus Hojlund fires Napoli to Serie A summit with Juventus double

The 22-year-old Manchester United loanee, now leading the line for Napoli, delivered his best performance since arriving in Naples, reminding everyone why the club moved to sign him on loan with an obligation to buy.

Hojlund opened the scoring in the seventh minute. David Neres curled in a dangerous cross, and the Danish forward slipped away from his marker before guiding a calm finish into the corner. Juventus responded through Kenan Yildiz, but Hojlund had the final word late on.

In the 78th minute, Weston McKennie helped a loose ball into the six-yard box and Hojlund reacted fastest, heading home from close range to seal the victory.

Before kick-off, Hojlund had scored four goals in 13 appearances and had gone eight matches without finding the net. He had still contributed with assists against Atalanta and Roma, but this was the night his confidence returned. He now has 10 goals and three assists in all competitions this season.

Hojlund had recently made his mindset clear. "Obviously, I'd like to score a lot of goals again, but it's important to always contribute to the team, and I'm happy to help," he said. "I consider myself a team player. Winning is more important than scoring goals."

After the match, Conte praised his squad: "The players deserve all the compliments. In a moment of extreme difficulty and with so few available, we are doing incredible things," the Napoli coach said. "Everyone who plays steps up with great character and responsibility."

Napoli now sit top of Serie A on 31 points from 14 matches, one point above Inter Milan. AC Milan are three points behind in third, while Roma sit fourth, four points off the lead.

Napoli next face Benfica in the Champions League before trips to Udinese and a Supercoppa Italiana clash with AC Milan.

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