Ezequiel Lavezzi set up both goals for Daniele Mannini and Marcelo Zalayeta, but Sampdoria were rightly furious after seeing a perfectly good Antonio Cassano goal disallowed.

The Partenopei had a 100 per cent record at the San Paolo, but Samp had finally found their form with two wins on the trot following Claudio Bellucci's return to fitness. Edy Reja's men wanted to prove a point after their unlucky last-gasp defeat to Milan, which saw them slide down to fourth place from the top spot. Christian Maggio was suspended against his former teammates, while Doria missed Stefano Lucchini, Angelo Palombo and Jonathan Bottinelli.

Fabiano Santacroce rose to nod a Walter Gargano corner kick just over the bar, but Sampdoria went very close with Gennaro Delvecchio's header from an Antonio Cassano cross deflected wide by Paolo Cannavaro.

Napoli took the lead moments later. Pochi Lavezzi created it with one of his trademark bursts of pace down the left and the low cross slipped past Samp defenders to reach Daniele Mannini's tap-in at the back post.

Daniele Gastaldello accidentally gave Marek Hamsik the chance to shoot, but made up for it by charging down the finish.

Gennaro Iezzo completely missed a corner kick and it fell to Daniele Gastaldello, who nodded wide of an open goal. The 'keeper then smothered a Claudio Bellucci angled drive.

Lavezzi's cross-shot was deflected and almost squirmed in to the far corner, while after the restart Salvatore Accardi did well to close down a German Denis strike from the edge of the box.

Hamsik's header turned a Gargano set piece over the bar, but Cassano was incredulous when he ran on to a through ball to chip Iezzo only to see the goal disallowed for an incorrect offside call. Matteo Contini was clearly keeping the Sampdoria star in play.

The Blucerchiati were piling on the pressure and forced two goalline clearances in the space of five seconds. A corner kick was nodded towards goal by Delvecchio and cleared off the line by Manuele Blasi, then it fell to Franceschini and this time Mannini saved the day.

Marcelo Zalayeta came off the bench and doubled Napoli's lead. Lavezzi pounced on a woeful defensive error when two Samp players collided and his deflected angled drive turned into an assist for Zalayeta's tap-in at the back post.