Napoli 1, Fiorentina 0: Player ratings and man of the match poll

While this wasn't the big 3-1 result that Napoli earned last time they faced Fiorentina, they got the three points and another clean sheet despite Fiorentina putting on an impressive push late in the match. Who was Napoli's best player of the day? Read on to find out how the performances graded out.

Starters

Rafael Cabral - 7 - Had a solid performance in goal, looking calm and assured throughout the match, even when the momentum was firmly against his side. Also had a top-notch save against Cuadrado that belongs in highlight reels.

Christian Maggio - 6 - Maggio was a much more productive part of the attack than we've seen from him in a long time, and was decent in defense. Gave away far too many fouls, though, and was lucky that the referee seemed to not be counting, as many others would have given him two yellows for persistent fouling.

Raul Albiol - 7 - More good signs of a return to form for Albiol today. Was a good outlet/mess cleaner in the first half, and put in a yeoman's shift on Mario Gomez when the German international subbed in during the second half.

Kalidou Koulibaly - 8 - Koulibaly was his usual assured self in defense, dominating Khouma Babacar and blunting the most dangerous Fiorentina attacks. The highlight for Koulibaly, though, was his goal line clearance in the final minutes that saved the win.

Faouzi Ghoulam - 7 - Ghoulam didn't do as much in attack as we're used to seeing, but he also kept Juan Cuadrado more or less contained for the majority of the match when the Colombian was on his side of the pitch, and that's no easy task.

David Lopez - 8 - Lopez was all over the place today, and did very well to blunt Fiorentina's attack. He put Alberto Aquilani in his pocket in the first half, kept Josip Ilicic well contained when he cut inside, and cleaned up a lot of potential danger when Fiorentina finally got rolling in the second half.

Jorginho - 6 - Jorginho was his usual efficient and effective self in attack, but he was far more reckless when Napoli didn't have the ball than he normally is. That was strange to see, but shouldn't be overly concerning as long as it doesn't become a trend.

Jose Callejon - 7 - No goal today, but put in a better shift in terms of his all-round performance than we've seen from Callejon in awhile. Gave Marcus Alonso fits all day long, making him look bad in defense and containing him when the Fiorentina fullback tried to get forward.

Marek Hamsik - 6 - Obviously not fully healthy yet after his midweek bout with the flu. Had a few impressive moments, including forcing a good save from Neto in the second half, but on a whole looked fairly disjointed and lacked his usual energy.

Lorenzo Insigne - n/a - Hard to rate a performance shortened by injury, though he was playing well before going down. Get healthy soon, Lorenzo.

Gonzalo Higuain - 8 - Scored the all-important goal, could have had another if not for being offside (and what an impressive strike that one was), and drove the side after Insigne's injury. An impressive all-around performance from Pipita today.

Substitutes

Dries Mertens - 7 - It took Mertens quite awhile to get on the same page as the starters, but once he did he was a persistent nagging force in Napoli's attack. Helped start counters, redirect the attack, and harried Fiorentina's back line for his entire stint on the pitch.

Jonathan De Guzman - 7 - Was a constant danger after coming on. Drove several counters, created one good chance with a lovely heel flick, and helped Napoli apply attacking pressure at several moments when they needed it to relieve their beleaguered defense.

Henrique Buss - n/a - Wasn't on for long as a bunkering defensive sub, but also wasn't especially inspiring while he was on the pitch.

Who was your man of the match today? Vote in the poll below and discuss the performances in the comments!