Napoli batters Spezia to increase advantage
Spezia made three costly mistakes and Serie A leader Napoli took full advantage to cruise to a 3-0 win at Stadio Alberto Picco.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen ruthlessly punished the defensive lapses as Napoli moved 16 points clear at the Serie A summit.
Luciano Spalletti's side may not have been at its swashbuckling best but produced a professional display and never looked at risk of dropping points once it edged in front.
An uneventful first half brought few clear-cut chances but Napoli took charge of the contest just a minute after the restart, with Kvaratskhelia coolly converting a penalty.
Another mistake from the host allowed Osimhen to score for the fifth league game in a row and he netted again soon after as Spezia proved to be their its worst enemy.
Both sides looked purposeful early on, with Kevin Agudelo threatening first as he blazed over after a driving run.
Mattia Caldara then chested a Mario Rui cross just wide of his own goal at the other end and from the subsequent corner Giovanni Di Lorenzo went agonisingly close with a glancing header.
Proceedings soon calmed significantly but Spezia gifted Napoli the breakthrough via a penalty concession.
Arkadiusz Reca blatantly handled the ball in the box and Kvaratskhelia slammed home his spot-kick.
Osimhen was then on hand to capitalise on Ethan Ampadu's sliced clearance with 68 minutes played, nodding in above Dimitris Nikolaou and Bartlomiej Dragowski.
The two goal scorers linked up five minutes later to finish Spezia off.
Caldara inexplicably coughed up possession just outside his own box, allowing Kvaratskhelia to tee Osimhen up for a tap-in.