SERIE A leader Napoli lost for the first time this season as Inter Milan reinvigorated its Italian title bid with a 3-2 win Sunday.

Inter, the defending champion, cut the gap on Napoli and AC Milan to four points after 13 rounds and ended Napoli’s status as the last remaining unbeaten team across Europe’s five major leagues.

Dries Mertens, who had set up a pulsating finale with his club-record 137th goal for Napoli, missed the chance to equalize in injury time when he blazed his shot over.

“It was a very tactical match and we could have drawn it in the end,” said Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti on his first return to the San Siro in Milan since he was fired by Inter after finishing fourth in 2019.

Spalletti’s players wore jerseys paying tribute to soccer great Diego Maradona, who died Nov. 25 last year.

It was another Argentine who scored the winning goal. Lautaro Martinez scored Inter’s third on a counterattack in the 61st minute, set up by compatriot Joaquin Correa.

Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic preserved the result with a brilliant save to deny Mario Rui in injury time, forcing the ball onto the crossbar, before Mertens’ miss.

The visitors had struck first in the 17th when Piotr Zielinski won the ball off Nicolo Barella and ran forward to score from Lorenzo Insigne’s pass.

Hakan Calhanoglu equalized with a penalty in the 25th, awarded after Kalidou Koulibaly was penalized through VAR for hand ball, and Ivan Perisic headed Inter’s second before the break.

There was a lengthy delay early in the second half following a clash of heads between Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Inter’s Milan Skriniar.

(SD-Agencies)