Serie A Weekend: Napoli are the Anti-Milan

What a weekend! For aficionados of the greatest Calcio on the peninsula, Day 31 was one of thrills, shocks and genuine entertainment, adding to one of the most exhilarating campaigns of recent memory. From title contenders to relegation eluders, everything remains to be played for as we enter the final furlongs. Here are the most compelling implications of the last turn.

Inter can only truly compete for the Champions League

The headline from a weekend composed almost exclusively of sensational results belongs to AC Milan, whose overwhelming performance at the San Siro against cross-town rivals Inter on Saturday confirmed their credentials for the 10/11 Scudetto and broke the back of Inter’s remarkable comeback streak.

A goal from Pato within 53 seconds, the fastest in a Milanese derby since 1963, stunned the current European champions, who put up an admirable fight for the first half of the game. Following the much-maligned Chivu's sending off, however, play from that point on was merely a formality. The nerazzuri now sit five points adrift of the top and third in the table without enough gas in the tank to make an impact on the title race.

But European ambitions remain untouched. Effectively cut out of Serie A, Inter will concentrate on becoming the first team to win the Champions League twice in a row, as they host Shalke 04 in the quarterfinal. The Milan side dispatched Teutonic competition in the last round, defeating Bayern Munich 3-2 at the Allianz Arena in a heart-stopping 90 minutes, and are favorites go on to the semi-finals. With little to play for at home, the nerazzuri will look to overcome their frustration and disappointment by reasserting themselves on the European stage.

Napoli are the True Anti-Milan

Say what you want about Napoli, but you must give them credit: they never fail to entertain. Sunday’s match was no different. Reports of presidents Lotito of Lazio and De Laurentiis of Napoli going mano-a-mano­ at the Lega Calcio dinner made for particularly interesting pre-match fare, and the clash would live up to its billing.

Down by two goals to Lazio and in front of a characteristically raucous San Paolo crowd, the azzurri came back to win in a 4-3 thriller replete with excitement of red-cards, penalties, own-goals and phantom goals.  Lazio will certainly recriminate certain refereeing decisions, including the denial of a clear-cut goal and a less than clear-cut penalty. Regardless, the result reopens the race for the final Champions League spot, as rivals Udinese and Roma both lost on the weekend.

More importantly in terms of the Scudetto was Napoli’s win, rather than Lazio’s loss. Napoli are known for playing best under pressure, and with the first title since the age of Maradona on the line, they will push hard over the final seven weeks. Led by the stupendous form of neo-arrival Edison Cavani (currently tied for the top scorer with Udinese’s Di Natale) Napoli have leapfrogged Inter to second place in the standings and will be hot on AC Milan’s tail for the final stretch of the season. So don't turn away just yet, there's so much more yet to come.