McTominay brace, Allegri red card and six goals - how Derby del Sole delivered drama

Highlights: Balerdi’s late header rescues draw for Roma after ding-dong clash

Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa set the tone in the Serie A game with an outrageous overhead kick to open the scoring after Devyne Rensch somehow denied Noa Lang a tap in at full stretch.

The Dutchman’s heroics only delayed the inevitable in a first half dominated by Napoli, as a set-piece looked like it was breaking down until Anguissa produced an audacious overhead that lobbed eight players and left Pierluigi Gollini rooted to the middle of the goal as the ball looped in.

"Anguissa, oh my word! That is a breakthrough, that is brilliant from the Cameroonian," exclaimed TNT Sports commentator Matt Smith.

"He might be in his 30s, but he is limber, he is lithe, and he has found an incredible overhead finish."

The first-half onslaught continued, with Kevin De Bruyne only denied by a brave Gollini challenge when the goalkeeper was well outside his box, then evaded a Rasmus Hojlund tackle before he eventually found a team-mate and retreated to safety.

Roma survived until half-time, but not for much longer, as McTominay doubled his side’s lead by catching the visiting defence napping and turning home a Matteo Politano cross at the second attempt.

‘That is brilliant’ - Anguissa gives Napoli lead with ‘INCREDIBLE’ overhead kick

McTominay scored twice against Bodo/Glimt in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, but this marked the Scot’s first Serie A goal since undergoing surgery to correct a mild benign arrhythmia.

"Guess who? Scott McTominay," Smith said. "Politano’s done that several times tonight, and this time Napoli force the issue, they have a two-goal lead, and McTominay gets his third this week. It is a good night to be a Neapolitan."

Yet Roma finally breached Alex Meret’s goal thanks to brilliant interplay between Donyell Malen and Matias Soule that gave the latter a shooting chance from outside the area, and, without missing a beat, the Argentine curled his shot around the goalkeeper and into the bottom corner against a statuesque home defence.

Soule curls in 'brilliant' finish to halve deficit against Napoli

And just five minutes later, all of Napoli’s good work in the first hour was undone when Marten de Roon’s cross from deep caused chaos in the penalty area and allowed centre-back Leonardo Balerdi to smash the ball home, with appeals for handball ignored.

However, it looked like McTominay would be the hero of the day after all when he rifled a shot into the bottom corner from 35 yards out after Leonardo Spinazzola’s effort was saved, restoring Napoli’s lead with seven minutes remaining.

"Oh, my word, can this boy not do anything? From the depths of despair he has raced one into the corner," Smith said.

There would be one final twist, though. Gian Piero Gasperini redeployed Balerdi up front, and it paid dividends when he rose highest to meet a Wesley cross for the sixth and final goal of the game.

It was the last strike, but not the end of the drama as Sam Beukema immediately collapsed clutching his torso as the ball crossed the line, having gone down earlier in the play nursing the same area before stumbling back to his feet and running freely.

And replays showed Balerdi had barely brushed the centre-back with his elbow, before Beukena dramatically went to ground in an attempt to win a free-kick.

"It is just incredible, it is absolutely nothing. Allegri is clearly livid, well he should be with his [defender]. For goodness sake, the centre-half should feel ashamed," former Torino and England player Tony Dorigo said on TNT Sports commentary as Allegri saw red for protesting the lack of a foul.

Even after the equaliser was confirmed, Napoli had one final chance to win it when the ball pinballed around the Roma penalty area from a corner, but the danger was cleared by the visitors.

"The melee in the middle of that box, they are all living on their nerves. I feel for them, because I am living on mine, Tony! Crazy game." Smith said.

As the final whistle blew, the dust settled on a result that suited neither team, with Napoli in danger of falling into the bottom half of the table and Roma missing an opportunity to go top of Serie A, at least provisionally, but rewarded the neutrals with a spectacular evening.

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