Simeon ‘Simy’ Nwankwo and Joel Obi came in in the second half, but Napoli lost 1-0 at Salernitana to maintain their lead on the log.
Due to a muscular issue, Victor Osimhen did not play for the Serie A leaders.
With the victory, Napoli moved three points clear of second-placed AC Milan, who will visit Roma later on Sunday.
Napoli dominated the first half but were unable to break the deadlock, with Piotr Zielinski coming closest early on.
On the hour mark, substitute Andrea Petagna hit the crossbar with a header, but Zielinski made no mistake from the rebound, dragging the ball down and finding a gap to slot home.
With 20 minutes remaining, Salernitana’s work was made much more difficult when Grigoris Kastanos caught Andre-Frank Anguissa’s ankle with a bad tackle and was awarded a red card after a VAR check.
Napoli captain Kalidou Koulibaly, on the other hand, was sent off for tugging Simy back when he was clear through on goal.
Salernitana is still in the relegation zone, with seven points in 19th place.
