So, another round of Serie A matches is now in the books, and there were plenty of interesting results from this past weekend's games. That includes a minnow pulling off yet another surprise result against an Italian giant and the top two sides both ensuring that it could end up being really a two-legged race for the Scudetto at the end of this season.
Here's all you need to know following this weekend's Serie A action.
Top five teams in Serie A up to November 1
Here's how the table looks after last weekend's matches
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Who are top three goalscorers in Serie A?
Some new faces have emerged as potential contenders for the Capocannoniere, including Diego Simeone's son, Giovanni, who plays for Hellas Verona
Top Serie A headlines, stats, and other facts
Mourinho loses his home pitch advantage: Prior to Sunday's game, the decorated manager had never lost a home game in Serie A, with his run standing at 43 matches from his time when he was in charge of the Nerazzurri. However, Milan had other plans as they took an early lead thanks to goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Franck Kessie, and despite the Rossoneri doing down to ten men after Theo Hernandez was sent off, Stephan El Shaarawy's late goal against his former side wasn't enough to prevent Mourinho from suffering his first home loss. Mourinho's 43 home game unbeaten streak was a record in itself as it was the longest such run for any coach since the 1994/95 term.
HUGE milestone for Zlatan: The Swedish superstar scored Milan's first goal and in doing so, has now netted his 400th career goal. Coincidentally, it was nearly exactly 22 years after he scored his first goal - which happened on October 30, 1999, when he was a very determined and ambitious 18-year-old striker playing for hometown club Malmo. Now, at 40, and still going strong, he'll certainly be hoping to do his part to help the Rossoneri finally end their long wait for the Scudetto, one game at a time. Milan have now joined a very small group of teams to win ten of their 11 matches so far, and includes fellow league leaders Napoli.
Napoli continue to march on: It wasn't easy, but Napoli got the three points they needed against a desperate and very determined Salernitana side who were doing all they could to park the bus and get a draw. The debutants have had a torrid time in their first ever appearance in Serie A, and playing at home, they were really hoping they might be able to get a valued point. However, Piotr Zielinski's second half goal ended up being the deciding factor, despite Napoli seeing star defender Kalidou Koulibaly dismissed not too long after. With ten wins in 11 games, this is the joint-best performance from Napoli since the 2017/18 season.
Dusan Vlahovic joins a very elite club of Fiorentina strikers: The young Serbian international was linked with a move away from the Stadio Artemio Franchi, with clubs in England and Italy especially keen, but ended up staying with the Viola - at least for now. He was on target as he netted a hat-trick to help the Gigliati down Spezia, 3-0, and that brings him to just behind Ciro Immobile in the race for the Capocannoniere. More significant, Vlahovic has scored 25 goals since the start of 2021, making him only the third Fiorentina striker to do this (after Kurt Roland Hamrin netted 25 in 1959 and 27 in 1960).
Top Serie A matches: November 5 - November 7, 2021
Juventus vs Fiorentina: Two consecutive losses now have taken the shine off Juventus, who had seemingly turned a corner after a rough start. Now, the Bianconeri, who sit in ninth spot following shock losses to minnows like Sassuolo and Hellas Verona, will again seek to recover as they welcome bitter rivals Fiorentina to the Allianz Stadium this weekend. Fiorentina, for their part, have had a fair campaign so far, and despite losing three of their last five games, the Viola are still three points ahead of La Vecchia Signora in the rankings.
Venezia vs Roma: Roma were unable to pick up all three points in Sunday's highly anticipated clash between the Giallorossi and Milan. However, Jose Mourinho's men are still in fourth spot and will have a great chance to get some much needed points on the board as they travel to face struggling Venezia, who have won just twice all season and are narrowly just hovering above the drop zone.
Napoli vs Hellas Verona: Can anyone stop Napoli? It doesn't look like it. The Partenopei are still on top of the league table, with ten wins from their first 11 games, and Luciano Spalletti's side continue to enjoy a very impressive campaign this season. Still, given how Hellas Verona seem to be able to pull off shock results against Italy's biggest sides - so far, they've beaten Roma, Lazio, and most recently, Juventus - Napoli won't be taking them lightly when they welcome them this weekend.
Milan vs Inter: The latest installment of the world-famous Derby della Madonnina gets underway on Sunday, and for both sides, it's more than just three points at stake. At the moment, Milan are enjoying a comfortable lead over Inter, with seven points separating the two sides, but Rossoneri fans will keenly remember last season when the Diavolo had a seemingly comfortable advantage over the Nerazzurri, only to suffer a mid-season collapse and see Inter run away with the Scudetto. This arguably will be the biggest match of the weekend for Milan and Inter fans as well as neutrals as well - will either side emerge victorious with three points and bragging rights in hand?
Make sure you don't miss out on these key games and stay on top of all the action by checking out our bespoke Serie A matchday page.
