Federico Dimarco and Hakan Calhanoglu scored for Inter, while Scott McTominay struck twice for Napoli, including a late equaliser that stopped Inter moving five points clear at the top.
The result keeps the standings tight, with only seven points separating Inter in first place and Juventus in fifth, and Cristian Chivu is convinced the Serie A title race remains crowded. Inter’s struggle to beat the strongest rivals continued, adding further intrigue to a season in which several clubs still see a realistic route to the trophy.
The Opta supercomputer currently gives Inter a 69.6% chance of winning the Serie A title, which is the highest projection among all clubs. Napoli are rated at 14.9%, Milan at 9.4%, Juventus at 3.4% and Roma at 3%. Even Como, sitting sixth, feature in the Serie A title race simulations with a 0.3% probability.
| Team | Title chance (%) |
|---|---|
| Inter | 69.6 |
| Napoli | 14.9 |
| Milan | 9.4 |
| Juventus | 3.4 |
| Roma | 3 |
| Como | 0.3 |
Chivu accepts that statistical models favour Inter yet believes the actual Serie A title race picture is far less certain. “I think there’s four or five teams in this title race, I don’t even know what the points gap is, just that we, Napoli, Bologna and Milan all have a game in hand,” Chivu told reporters. “We all know this will be a fight to the end.”
Inter’s ongoing difficulties against direct rivals could strongly influence the final outcome of the Serie A title race. Since the start of last season, Inter have failed to win any of 13 matches against Napoli, Milan and Juventus across all competitions, recording six draws and seven defeats. That run continued with McTominay’s late leveller, which again denied Inter a decisive head-to-head victory.
The game itself highlighted both Inter’s attacking threat and recurring lapses when leading. Dimarco gave Inter the ideal start with a ninth-minute strike, before McTominay hit back to bring Napoli level. After the interval, Calhanoglu converted a 73rd-minute penalty, but McTominay scored again nine minutes from time, extending Inter’s wait for a statement win over another contender.
Match performance, xG data and Serie A title race context
Underlying numbers suggested Inter might have felt harshly treated by the final score, adding another angle to the Serie A title race narrative. Inter produced 13 shots for an expected goals figure of 1.45, compared with Napoli’s 0.74 from seven attempts. It was also Inter’s first Serie A draw of the season under Chivu, who admitted frustration at how the advantage slipped away twice.
Chivu highlighted both teams’ commitment while also pointing to Inter’s decision-making after scoring. “I saw two strong teams who did everything to win this game,” Chivu added. “There are regrets that we twice took the lead and didn’t win, but it is never easy when you are up against a strong opponent. The regrets are that we probably didn’t keep a clear head to bring the result home, but Napoli deserve credit for never giving up and continuing to fight to the end to draw and even try to win.”
Despite the disappointment, Chivu found encouragement when comparing this performance with October’s reverse fixture, which Inter lost 3-1 in Naples. “I liked the attitude, the determination to keep pushing forward, even if we over-did it and sometimes found ourselves exposed with the passes for Hojlund,” Chivu said. “We tried everything to create our football, aware that we were up against a strong opponent who could cause us problems.”
Chivu also noted how the pattern of the second half shifted before Inter’s penalty. “Napoli made it tough for us in the first 20 minutes of the second half, but then we started to keep the ball for longer periods and that was the situation building up to the penalty. It’s a pity, but these are two great teams who raised the level of what modern football and Serie A can be. We are left with the regret of not winning a head-to-head match, but it will be one big battle to the very end, scrapping for every single point.”
The draw leaves Inter still leading the division yet facing growing pressure from several challengers, with direct clashes proving especially demanding. Their strong title probability, combined with a poor record in major head-to-head games, suggests the Serie A title race will remain tense, with every fixture against Napoli, Milan, Juventus, Roma and Como likely to shape the final standings.