McTominay goal bails Napoli out at Parma as ex-Man Utd star refuses to give up on Serie A crown

Antonio Conte’s side arrived at the Stadio Ennio Tardini riding a five-game winning streak, but they were shocked almost immediately after the first whistle.

It took just 33 seconds for the hosts to take the lead, as Gabriel Strefezza latched onto a flick-on from Nesta Elphege and fired a clinical effort past Vanja Milinkovic-Savic via the far post.

The early goal emboldened Parma, whose physical approach - led by the imposing Elphege - caused significant problems for the Napoli backline.

Despite the nightmare start, Napoli eventually grew into the contest as their high-profile stars began to exert their influence. The breakthrough finally arrived on the hour mark when Rasmus Hojlund turned provider, teeing up McTominay to shoot into the bottom corner for his 12th goal of another impressive campaign.

The final stages were a frantic affair, with both sides searching for a winner. Alisson Santos went close twice for Parma, narrowly missing the target before being denied by Suzuki in stoppage time. At the other end, Milinkovic-Savic had to produce a vital save to keep out Mandela Keita, ensuring that Napoli left Emilia-Romagna with a share of the spoils and their position in the top two intact.

The result leaves Napoli six points behind leaders Inter, a gap that could potentially grow to nine if the Nerazzurri win their game in hand against Como.

However, McTominay remained defiant regarding his team's chances of defending the Scudetto. Speaking after the final whistle, the Scotland international made it clear that the squad isn't ready to throw in the towel just yet.

“Obviously, we know nothing’s ever finished and it’s important to keep going,” McTominay told DAZN Italia. “Today was a very difficult game, we had chances with Elmas and Hojlund as well. This is football, you’re going to get results you don’t like and this is one of them. We’ve got to play the next six games at a high level and try to get maximum points.”

Conte has had to navigate a difficult period with several key players sidelined, but McTominay was quick to dismiss any notion of using the club's medical list as an excuse for the performance.

He acknowledged that while the absences have been a factor throughout the season, the team must take accountability for their displays on the pitch during this crucial stretch.

“Interviews after a game can be emotional, you say things that are true, and it is true we’ve had a lot of injuries, a lot of games where we had players missing. This is the key, with all those competitions, you need players available, which we didn’t really have,” he added.