Napoli left it late but extended their unbeaten Serie A run to 14 matches with a dramatic 1-0 win over Cagliari at the Diego Maradona Stadium.

The champions were repeatedly denied by visiting goalkeeper Elia Caprile, who produced a string of outstanding saves to frustrate Kevin De Bruyne, Lorenzo Lucca, Scott McTominay and Frank Anguissa.

Napoli continued to dominate after the break, but Caprile’s brilliance and a goal-line clearance kept the scores level.

Just as it seemed Cagliari had held on, Alessandro Buongiorno teed up Anguissa in stoppage time, and the midfielder kept his composure to finally beat Caprile and spark wild celebrations in Naples.

The result ensures Napoli’s perfect start to the season and their third such opening in the past four title defences.

For Cagliari, their resistance ended in heartbreak, leaving them with just one win from their last 11 Serie A away fixtures.