by Anton Johan
On Monday, Serie A leaders AC Milan showed exactly why they are in the top spot when they unceremoniously dispatched number three club Napoli 3-0 at San Siro in Milan, highlighted by superb play by Brazilian striker Pato.
The win pushed AC Milan further into the lead with 58 points, with Napoli trailing with 52 points in third. And although AC Milan collectively played better football than their rivals, there was little doubt that the man of the match was Pato.
Famously left out of the Brazilian World Cup Squad last year, the 21-year-old striker showed selectors what they missed out on when he helped midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng score Milan's second goal before scoring the third goal himself.
Going back to the start of the match, the teams were pretty evenly matched throughout the first half, with neither managing to capitalise against the other. The second half, however, was a different kettle of fish, and got off to a controversial start.
Just four minutes into the second half, referee Gianluca Rocchi awarded a penalty to AC Milan for a handball by Napoli defender Salvatore Aronica, which Milan's Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic dispatched into the back of Napoli's goal.
The controversy was that a TV replay of the incident showed that the ball accidentally struck Aronica's arm and was not intentional. However, bolstered by their 1-0 lead, AC Milan turned up the gas and scored again in the 77th minute.
Pato was the playmaker that sent the perfect cross to Boateng, who wasted no time in sending it goalward beyond the reach of Napoli's keeper. And then just two minutes later, Pato scored a sterling goal of his own to put his team 3-0 ahead.
Here are the most recent Serie A results from Italy:
Juventus 0-2 Bologna
Catania 2-1 Genoa
Bari 1-1 Fiorentina
Brescia 2-2 Lecce
AS Roma 2-2 Parma
Palermo 0-7 Udinese
Cagliari 1-0 Lazio
Cesena 1-0 Chievo
Sampdoria 0-2 Inter Milan
AC Milan 3-0 Napoli
