Pedraza's Own Goal Rescues Napoli as Leaders Lazio Are Held 1-1 at the Maradona

Four minutes. That is how long Alfonso Pedraza had been on the pitch when his afternoon turned into a nightmare.

The Lazio defender had replaced the injured Nuno Tavares at half-time, with his side leading 1-0 and in control of the game. Scott McTominay won the ball back for Napoli, a cross came over from the left, and both Rasmus Hojlund and McTominay went for it. It was Pedraza who got the last touch, turning the ball past his own goalkeeper, Christos Mandas, and into the net. The Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, which had spent the first half watching its team chase the game, suddenly had something to shout about.

It was not how anyone had expected the leaders to drop points. Lazio, unbeaten in ten league games and nine wins deep into a remarkable run under Gennaro Gattuso, had been the better side for most of the first half. They broke the deadlock on 28 minutes with a goal that summed up their season: a Napoli corner, cleared, and suddenly Lazio were away. Tijjani Noslin drove forward and threaded the ball through to Davide Frattesi, who finished past the keeper. From a De Bruyne corner at one end to a goal at the other in a matter of seconds.

Napoli, for their part, came into this game in a mess. Massimiliano Allegri's side had lost 2-0 to Juventus in their previous league outing and then been thrashed 4-1 by Porto in the Champions League in midweek. They are a team searching for form and for confidence, and for 45 minutes it showed. Lazio dominated the ball and the chances, and Napoli could be grateful it was only 1-0 at the break, with Mandas already having made saves to keep them in it.

The equaliser changed the mood completely. Suddenly Napoli were playing with urgency and belief, and Lazio looked shell-shocked. Kevin De Bruyne went one-on-one with Mandas just before the hour and saw his shot saved, the ball trickling towards the line before Leite got back to clear it. Mathias Olivera missed a golden chance from inside the box, ballooning his effort over the bar. Mandas, who had a superb game, kept out a McTominay effort and a long-range shot from Lorenzo Lucca. Hojlund went close from outside the box. The chances were there for Napoli to win it.

They could not take them, and in the end a draw was probably fair. Lazio stay top of Serie A on 29 points, still unbeaten, their only dropped points this season a 2-2 draw with Milan and now this. Napoli take a point they badly needed and move to 15, but the performance will have told Allegri plenty about where his team stands. They were second best for long stretches against the league leaders, and it took an opposition own goal to rescue them.

There was one more sour note for the home crowd's mood. Noa Lang, booked in the first half, was booed every time he touched the ball after reportedly gesturing to the Curva to make more noise. Pedraza, too, was booked late on for a crunching tackle on Matteo Politano that left the Napoli man in a heap.

For Lazio, the unbeaten run goes on, but the gap at the top stays where it was. For Napoli, a point, a small lift, and a week to work on the problems that this game laid bare.