SCOTT McTominay scored twice as Napoli beat Torino 2-0 to move three points clear of Inter Milan at the top of the Serie A table with four games remaining and within touching distance of a fourth Scudetti here in the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium tonight. McTominay, a £25m signing from Manchester United back in August, has endeared himself to the ultra-passionate followers of the Italian club greatly with his dominant and intelligent performances for them in midfield during the past eight months.
However, the Neapolitans’ adoration of the Scot has reached new levels in recent weeks as his goals have enabled them to catch and overtake stuttering Inter in the league table and move to the cusp of what would be a historic achievement.
The 60-times capped 28-year-old was on target twice in a 3-0 triumph over Empoli at home a fortnight ago and netted the winning goal in a 1-0 victory against Monza away last weekend.
He took his tally for Napoli in the 2024/25 campaign to 11 in all competitions early on this evening – surpassing the total which his legendary countryman Denis Law recorded for Torino back in the 1961/62 season – when he broke the deadlock in the seventh minute.
He was in the perfect position as Frank Zambo Anguissa squared the ball to him in the visitors’ six yard box and gave Torino keeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic no chance. The 51,144-strong home crowd, who had rejoiced as Champions League semi-finalists Inter had lost 1-0 at home to Inter earlier in the day, erupted and McTominay jumped over the advertising hoardings to celebrate with them and his fellow Napoli players. His Scotland team mate Che Adams, who had equalled Law’s haul at Torino earlier in the week, came close to equalising on a couple of occasions during the first half as Paolo Vanoli’s charges refused to lie down. McTominay had to drop deep at one point and head a Cristiano Biraghi corner that was destined for the man who he has been through so much alongside in a dark blue jersey in recent years.
But the Tartan Army favourite made it 2-0 three minuts before half-time with a goal which was a virtual carbon copy of the first, only on this occasion it was Matteo Politano who was the provider.
It was his 11th goal in Serie A - meaning that he has now scored more than any other Scot in the world-famous league in a single season – and 12th in total for Napoli.
The Napoli supporters hugged each other and chanted his name in unison as their team edged into pole position in the title race.
Billy Gilmour did not, with Anguissa having regained full fitness, start but he replaced Stanislav Lobotka late on, slotted in alongside McTominay and did his bit. There is a lot of football still to be played before Antonio Conte’s men are crowned champions and Gilmour will hope to be involved more against Lecce, Genoa, Parma and Cagliari in the coming weeks. Scott McTominay will, if fit, definitely play. If he can score more goals and help Napoli to finish first in Serie A he will secure legendary status in Naples. He is clearly already well on the way to attaining that on this evidence.
