Antonio Conte was left frustrated by Napoli despite their 2-1 win over Genoa, admitting: “I didn't like anything about the second half”.
With Atalanta only in action on Sunday, the Partenopei took full advantage by guiding Gian Piero Gasperini's side to the top of Serie A.
The damage was done in the first half when headers from Frank Anguissa and Amir Rrahmani made Andrea Pinamonti's strike academic early in the second half.
However, Napoli had Alex Meret to thank for preserving the three points, with the goalkeeper making a series of clever saves to keep the hosts at bay.
And Conte insists his players must improve the consistency of their performance levels if they really want to challenge at the top of the table.
Full-time: #GenoaNapoli1-2
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— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) December 21, 2024
“If you only see the result and the three points, you don't build anything,” he told DAZN. “Our first half was our best of the season, and I really didn't expect the second half to be like that. Maybe I felt it in the locker room at half-time.
“The players must realize that they have to play from start to finish, with their foot on the accelerator. I didn't like the second half. Defending by attacking, that must be our mantra.”
“I have players who know where they need to improve and they will go home disappointed today because they almost threw away three points.
“If we want to have even a little ambition and cause problems for the top positions up there, we have to spend 95 minutes at it.”
Meanwhile, Genoa saw their six-match unbeaten streak come to an end as they suffered their first defeat under Patrick Vieira, who was still pleased with his side's efforts.
“We showed that we can play good football, but in the end we didn't get any points,” he said. “After the game I said to the boys that if we keep doing what we did in the second half, we will win more games.
“It was a first half in which we did not play the way we wanted to play. But I think the quality of the opponent also caused the team problems.
“In the second half we were more aggressive, we grew and I think the team deserved the point. I feel sorry for the players.”
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