Verona striker Luca Toni netted twice to dent Napoli’s Champions League hopes, in a dismal performance from Rafa Benitez’s side on Sunday night.
The Blues failed to close the gap on second-place AS Roma, remaining level with Lazio on 46 points in fourth-place, and the defeat could have delivered a huge dent to their Champions League hopes next season.
The only disappointment to mar the superb victory by Verona was the red-card shown to Jacopo Sale, in the closing moments of the game, for his reaction to conceding a free-kick to Napoli forward Manolo Gabbiadini.
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It took just seven minutes for the deadlock to be broken when 37-year-old Toni spun around three Napoli defenders to net past a hapless Mariano Andujar for a scrappy opening goal.
It was a similar story in the second-half; just six minutes in, the 2006 World Cup winner was again on hand to grab his second goal of the game.
After excellent work on the left-flank by Emil Hallfredsson, the winger delivered a low-cross into the box, which was met by the Italian striker, who had to adjust his body with the ball having fallen behind him – and did so expertly to seal all three points for his side.