Antonio Conte thanked his Napoli players for the response they showed in Saturday's 3-1 comeback win against Udinese, which kept them within easy reach of the Serie A summit.
Napoli fell five points behind Scudetto leaders Atalanta after La Dea defeated Cagliari to make it 10 straight league wins – a new club record – earlier on Saturday.
They fell behind after Florian Thauvin's opening goal in the 22nd minute, but Romelu Lukaku and Frank Anguissa scored either side of Lautaro Giannetti's own goal after the break.
Conte's side have now won five of their last seven away games in Serie A (two draws), including two in a row, for the first time since last October. This season, only Atalanta (six) has recorded more away wins than Napoli.
After the match, the former Chelsea and Tottenham boss told DAZN: “Udinese are a very good team and I saw a strong reaction from my boys.
“We have to be realistic and fearless and understand that to win you have to take control of the game, like we did today.”
For Conte, the first half scoreline did not reflect his side's dominance.
“We controlled the game from start to finish, even though we were 1-0 down. The penalty didn't change the game for us,” the Partenopei coach added.
“We created chances in the first half and we have to keep playing that kind of football.
“Retaining possession, dominating the game, keeping up the pressure and dictating the game is crucial for us.”
Napoli are now unbeaten in their last seventeen games against Udinese in Serie A, winning fourteen and drawing three.
Of the teams currently playing in Serie A, only against Como (18 without defeat), Napoli are currently on a longer run.
They will be in action against Genoa next Saturday, while title rival Atalanta will host Empoli the next day.
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