NAPOLI got the victory they needed to stay clear at the top of Serie A, but not without a fight against Sassuolo.
The Partenopei were held by the minnows both home and away last season and it appeared that they may struggle to get past them shortly towards the end of the first half.
The visitors, managed by former Napoli man Cristian Bucchi, almost took the lead early doors.
Stefano Sensi fired a free-kick against the crossbar before he threatened again from a corner, only to see ex-Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina fingertip his effort over.
However, despite his efforts in attack the 22-year-old midfielder would find himself involved in the opener when he lost possession for his side.
Allan nicked the ball from him on the edge of his own area and he made no mistake in firing past the ‘keeper and hitting the net on 22 minutes.
Although they had fallen behind, the visitors refused to roll over despite almost falling two behind when Faouzi Ghoulam thundered a volley against the upright.
And Sassuolo got their reward four minutes before the break as Matteo Politano sped away from Vlad Chiriches on the right flank and his cross found Diego Falcinelli to direct a towering header past Reina.
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They were unable to remain level for long though as they fell behind again in disastrous circumstances before the interval.
Napoli won a corner that was curled towards the near post by Jose Callejon, but it ricocheted off visiting stopper Andrea Consigli on its way into the net.
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Marek Hamsik is still searching for his record-levelling goal for the hosts. He needs just one to go level with the legendary Diego Maradona on 145 strikes, and the closest he got this afternoon came in the opening period.
This time Consigli was alert to the danger, denying the Slovakian from close-range.
Napoli were in no mood for any more scares after the break and they made quick in finishing off their opponents less than ten minutes in.
Dries Mertens finished off a neat move from a corner as he met a knock-down two yards to seal the victory and end Sassuolo’s hopes.
That took Napoli three points clear of reigning champions Juventus at the top of the table after 11 matches each and continued their unbeaten start to the campaign.
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