Napoli are champions elect but does a lack of competition take the gloss off? | Nicky Bandini

Luciano Spalletti’s side are now 18 points clear in their Scudetto quest, with Milan, Inter and Juventus nowhere to be seen

The Stadio Carlo Castellani held some unhappy recent memories for Napoli. It was here that their title challenge unravelled last April, as a 2-0 lead against Empoli in the 80th minute became a 3-2 defeat. They were authors of their own demise back then, the equaliser arriving when the goalkeeper Alex Meret dallied in possession and allowed Andrea Pinamonti to block an attempted clearance straight into his net.

Could they self-destruct a second time? They held an identical 2-0 advantage on Sunday when Mário Rui was given a pointless red card, kicking out at Francesco Caputo. Instead of wobbling, Napoli became even more dominant down a man, enjoying a solid five-minute stretch inside the final quarter-hour when they did not allow Empoli a touch outside of their own half.