Napoli stalls again in Serie A title race
Serie A struggler Venezia frustrated title contender Napoli in a 0-0 draw at Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo.
Napoli knew a victory would take it top of the standings ahead of Inter facing Atalanta later in the day.
Yet Antonio Conte's team could not get the job done and instead had to settle for a point, giving Inter the chance to move three clear at the top, while Atalanta would draw level with the Azzurri with a victory.
Both sides had opportunities to score in a frantic opening spell, with Napoli's Giacomo Raspadori hitting the post while Venezia forward Daniel Fila fired straight at visiting goalkeeper Alex Meret from a promising position.
Napoli began to exert control over the contest as the first half wore on and Venezia stopper Ionut Radu had to be alert to keep out efforts from Raspadori, Romelu Lukaku and Scott McTominay.
The home side almost scored against the run of play in the 42nd minute, but Fila's low shot was prevented from crossing the line by Amir Rrahmani's brilliant last-ditch block.
Napoli upped the pressure after the interval, with Matteo Politano twice drawing saves from Radu, though Venezia almost grabbed a winner in stoppage time, with Nicolussi Caviglia's powerful effort from the edge of the box saved by Meret.
Venezia, which has not won in the league since beating Cagliari 2-1 in December, remains in 19th place in the table on 20 points, five adrift of safety.
