NAPOLI CLOSE GAP TO FOUR

Napoli closed the gap on Serie A leaders Juventus to four points with a 3-0 win at Udinese on Saturday. Carlo Ancelotti's side took to the Dacia Arena pitch knowing that a slip-up from the Turin club, who drew 1-1 with Genoa earlier in the day, had handed them a rare chance to gain ground. The coach was impressed by his side's clinical performance as goals from Fabian Ruiz, Dries Mertens and Marko Rog completed a comfortable victory. "These are all tests of our maturity," Ancelotti told reporters. "We finished off well before the international break and wanted to come back just as strongly. It was a hard-fought game, a nice match and an important victory with good responses from everyone. We're finding solidity in defence, we're quite comfortable but the work of the forwards is also important. Our work collectively in the defensive phase was very good today."     –Reuters