The Serie A title race is already pretty intense as Napoli moved back level with AC Milan at the top of the Italian top-flight table after Lorenzo Insigne’s brace from the penalty spot helped the club beat Bologna 3-0  on Thursday.

Fabián Ruiz had opened the scoring for Napoli in the 18th minute of the game.

Napoli, which dropped its first points of the season at Roma last weekend, moved above Milan on goal difference after the Rossoneri beat Torino 1-0 on Tuesday. Head-to-head is the first tiebreaker in Italy if teams are level at the end of the season.

Bologna had won only one of its past six matches but that was an impressive 3-0 victory over Lazio and it pushed Milan all the way on Sunday, despite playing with nine men before two late goals saw it lose 4-2.

Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti was forced to watch from the stands as he was red-carded after the final whistle in Rome as the referee judged his applause to be ironic, despite the coach’s fervent protests it was genuine.

Napoli dominated from the start and took the lead after Bologna gave away possession on the edge of its area and the ball came through to Fabián Ruiz, who curled it into the top left corner.

Bologna also gifted Napoli the second, four minutes from halftime, when defender Gary Medel handled the ball and Insigne stepped up to place the resulting penalty in the bottom left corner.

Inisgne again hit from the penalty spot, depositing his second penalty into the same corner in the 62nd minute after Ibrahima Mbaye was adjudged to have tripped Victor Osimhen.

Napoli midfielder André-Frank Zambo Anguissa also hit the crossbar.

(With AP input)