The recent round of fixtures in Serie A brought about great results for some, and nightmarish ones for others. League leaders Inter Milan edged closer to the title, beating Hellas Verona 1-0 to move 11 points clear at the top with only five rounds left. Atalanta, courtesy of their 5-0 thrashing of Bologna, climbed up to second in their bid to qualify for the UEFA Champions. Napoli, who beat Torino 2-0 on Monday, are now in third due to their superior goal difference over Juventus and AC Milan. Speaking of the Old Lady and the Rossoneri, they suffered horrible slip-ups over the weekend, drawing 1-1 with Fiorentina and losing 3-0 to Lazio respectively. Here's everything you need to know about the recent round of fixtures.
Top five teams in Serie A until May 1, 2021
Serie A top 3 scorers
Despite drawing blanks in the 1-1 draw with Fiorentina, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the top scorer in Serie A with 25 goals. Romalu Lukaku is second, but not a far second, with 21 goals while Luis Muriel edges out Crotone's Simy despite both being on 19 goals as the Atalanta ace has a higher goals contribution and a better minutes-per-goal ratio.
Serie A – top headline
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Juventus' 1-1 draw with Fiorentina saw the Bianconeri manage only two shots in the first half. The Old Lady have hit this low only twice before in the last three years.
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Inter Milan have stretched their winning streak at home to 13 thanks to their 1-0 triumph over Hellas Verona. This is only the second time in history they have managed this feat.
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Atalanta's 5-0 victory over Bologna means they have scored 4+ goals on nine separate occasions in Serie A this season, with only Bayern Munich (10) pulling this off more times in Europe's top-five leagues in 2020/21.
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Lorenzo Insigne made his 300th appearance in Serie A over the weekend, becoming only the fifth player in Napoli history to achieve this.
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Lazio's 3-0 victory over AC Milan has stretched their winning run at home to 10 games, a feat they have only achieved twice before in history, most recently in 1974.
Top matches to watch in Serie A: May 1-3, 2021
Crotone vs Internazionale: Crotone are bottom of the table, so why is this fixture crucial? It's simple: Inter could be crowned champions on Saturday. Victory is all but guaranteed for Conte's men and given the standings, only one team can delay their title celebrations and they are Atalanta. Should Zapata and Co. drop points on Sunday, the Nerazzurri's 11-year wait for the Scudetto will come to an end, but first they must beat Crotone.
Milan vs Benevento: Can AC Milan halt their horrible losing streak? Pioli's men have now lost twice in a row in the Italian top-flight and have dropped to fifth as a result, with their spot in next season's UEFA Champions League coming under heavy danger. Gone are the days when the Rossoneri were seen as favorites for the title. Benevento are a relegation-battling side but given Milan's form, nothing is impossible.
Udinese vs Juventus: All that was said about AC Milan is true for Juventus except for the standing. The Bianconeri are fourth, level on points with third-placed Napoli, but they are also level with fifth-placed AC Milan, meaning they could head in any direction. Cristiano and Co. have won only three of their last seven fixtures and could thus be in for a tough ride against the mid-table Udinese.
*Keep track of all the activity in the Italian top-flight by following our dedicated Serie A competition page.
