Last time Napoli led the Serie A this far into a season, it won the title on the back of the imperious play of its star Argentinian playmaker, Diego Maradona. 

On Tuesday it was another Argentinian - Gonzalo Higuain - firing 'Partenopei' to the top of the standings with two goals of the highest quality against Internazionale:

While the similarities between the polarising Higuain and Argentinian deity Maradona barely extend beyond the fact they both call the sprawling South American federal republic home, both been central figures in Napoli's most notable recent successes. 

The Serie A is a better place for it.

Post Rafa Benitez, Napoli has been rejigged and rejuvenated under the management of Maurizio Sarri, who, after a lean start to his tenure at the club this season, has tweaked his formation into an attacking 4-3-3 formation that has yielded 38 goals in its last 16 matches in all competitions. 

On Tuesday Sarri's men faced arguably their biggest challenge of the campaign so far, a visit from first-placed Inter. Barely a minute into the match Higuain had thundered the ball into the net to send a jolt through the rest of the competition. 

Inter struggled to cope with Napoli's high defensive line and rapid attacking play and by the time an hour had ticked past it was two down. The impressive Adem Ljajic clawed one back for the visitor, but this was Napoli's night. 

The win marked a return to the table's summit and Napoli's 18th match unbeaten in all competitions since losing to Sassuolo in August - a run that has seen it knock off Serie A title contenders Juventus, AC Milan, Fiorentina and now Inter. 

As Sarri has made slight tweaks to his unit, Lorenzi Insigne's form on the left flank has been irresistible, while man-mohawk Marek Hamisk has thrived in a deep-lying playmaker role. 

That Napoli, Inter, AC Milan, a resurgent Juve and Roma are all perched in the top eight and within striking distance of a title shot, speaks volumes for the quality of the Italian top flight this season, not to mention its evenness. With 11 points separating the teams from first to tenth, only the Premier League is closer. 

More than the points tally separating the sides, Napoli's free-wheeling attacking play conjures memories of a time when the competition was being lit up by arguably the greatest player to ever lace on a boot. 

As the proud owner of more than one AC Milan shirt, it's not an easy sentence to write, but under Sarri, Napoli is breathing interest and excitement back into the Serie A.