Former Manchester United player shines in Serie A clash with a brace, leading Napoli to a 2-1 victory over Juventus and top of the table.

Can you imagine? After McTominay, a former Manchester United castoff, left and clinched the Serie A championship last season, another ex-United player, Højlund, also transferred to Napoli this season. He netted a brace in a major Serie A encounter, helping his team reach the summit early and aim for the title this season.

At 03:45 Beijing time on December 8th, the 14th round of Serie A saw a top-tier clash as reigning champions Napoli hosted Juventus at home.

In the first half, Neres assisted Højlund to break the deadlock, giving Napoli a 1-0 lead at halftime; McKennie then set up Ildiz to equalize, but Højlund scored again to complete his brace and restore Napoli’s lead, leaving Juventus unable to change the scoreline.

In the end, Napoli narrowly defeated Juventus 2-1, moving to 31 points and overtaking Inter Milan by one point to top the table, while Juventus sits seventh with 23 points.

Napoli vs Juventus,Conte deployed a 3-4-3 formation with Højlund pushed forward, flanked by Neres and Noah Lang on the wings. Di Lorenzo, Elmas, McTominay, and Oliveira formed the midfield quartet, Bekma, Rahmani, and Buongiorno made up the back three, with Vania in goal. The starting lineup’s total market value was €298 million.Spalletti set up a 3-5-2 formation, pairing Ildiz and Koncesan as forwards. Cabral, Petit-Laroum, Locatelli, McKennie, and Cambiaso formed the five-man midfield, while Kupmenas, Kelly, and Kalulu composed the back three, with Di Gregorio as goalkeeper. The starting eleven’s combined market value was €335 million.

The match was relatively dull, with possession evenly split and few shots. Napoli had 9 shots with 4 on target; Juventus had 5 shots with 2 on target. Højlund had 3 shots, all on target, scoring twice and providing a key assist. Despite Napoli’s injury woes with players like De Bruyne absent, former United player Højlund led the attack in this Serie A heavyweight clash, scoring twice to secure the win and propel Napoli to the top of the Serie A standings early.

After the game, Højlund earned the highest rating of 8.3. Manchester United truly is a black hole for stars, especially forwards—each striker leaving Old Trafford becomes a key scorer for their new teams, such as Rashford at Barcelona, Antony at Betis, and Højlund at Napoli.