Napoli 2, Sassuolo 0: Player ratings and Man of the Match poll

This was a bit of an odd match for Napoli. The squad, for the  most part, was thoroughly mediocre against Sassuolo, and it showed in the form of a frustrating performance against a side that wasn't playing particularly well themselves. Two moments of incredible quality from Marek Hamsik and Duvan Zapata provided the difference, though, and saw Napoli through despite the lacklustre squad performance. Who was the best on the day, though?

Starters

Mariano Andujar - 6 - Had a tremendous save near the end of the match, but on a whole was more shaky than steady. Whatever's going on with Rafael Cabral can hurry up and stop so he can play again.

Christian Maggio - 5 - Gave up a couple very rash fouls in dangerous areas and wasn't really all that helpful in attack. Sadly, that vein of good form that Maggio had awhile back seems to have expired.

Raul Albiol - 6 - Did OK. Not great, but not bad either. Was shakier in possession than you want to see from a center back, missing on 15 of his 64 passes, but otherwise was fine.

Kalidou Koulibaly - 7 - Wasn't his typical commanding self, but kept the ever-dangerous Zaza pretty well in check, limiting him to just two shots, neither of which were on target. Also was a constant danger on Napoli's corners, which is fun.

Faouzi Ghoulam - 6 - Wasn't his normal dominant self in attack, but he did do good work keeping Berardi from wreaking too much havoc.

David Lopez - 6 - Really didn't have much to do. Was mostly tasked with marking Missiroli, who didn't have much influence on the match, so job well done in that regard. Steady and unspectacular in possession. Nothing flashy, but did what he needed to do.

Walter Gargano - 5 - Struggled marking Taider, made mistakes in possession in dangerous areas, tried to get fancy in attack and failed every time, and gave up two tremendously bone-headed fouls. Not one of Walter's better days.

Manolo Gabbiadini - 6 - Looked a bit tired and off the pace as the match wore on. Didn't play poorly by any stretch, just wasn't quite as sharp and driven as he normally is.

Marek Hamsik - 8 - Hamsik was the bright shining light of a dull first half for Napoli, and continued that in the second. When most of the squad had an off day, he just put them on his back and pretty much won the match by himself, scoring a pretty sweet goal along the way.

Jose Callejon - 5 - Not a great showing from Ziggy today. Struggled to make an impact out on the left, didn't do a lot better on the right, and looked pretty exhausted by the time he was subbed off.

Duvan Zapata - 7 - Had a rough first half, though more for lack of support and his still-developing finishing touch than actually playing poorly or not showing effort. Then he did this. So. Yeah. That was neat.

Substitutes

Dries Mertens - n/a - Rant time! That wasn't a red card. Not even remotely. Half the time, that foul isn't even booked. His studs were down, and he barely caught the player's ankle. Some argued that he had no intent to get the ball, but the ball still was at the Sassuolo player's feet when he dove - by the time it was kicked ahead, he was already committed. That is never, ever, ever a red card offense. Period. If Napoli appeal it, the odds are very, very good that the decision will be overturned.

Jonathan De Guzman - n/a - Wasn't on the pitch all that long, and the match was already decided by the time he showed up. Managed to miss another shot, though!

Giandomenico Mesto - n/a - Was on the pitch for about three minutes. Didn't even touch the ball.

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