Napoli will fight to the bitter end, says match-winner Diawara

Amadou Diawara has promised Napoli will "fight until the bitter end" in the Serie A title race after his first league goal kept Maurizio Sarri's men within four points of Juventus.

It looked as though Napoli would slip up on Sunday as they trailed Chievo at home, having earlier missed a penalty through Dries Mertens, but they kept going and got their reward in the closing stages.

Arkadiusz Milik drew the hosts level after 89 minutes before Diawara struck in the 93rd minute, showing the character that he believes will be key in the final weeks of the season.

"There's a long way to go and we have to win every game," the 20-year-old midfielder told Mediaset Premium. "We fight to the bitter end on every ball, from the first minute to the last, and always try to win."

Reflecting on his maiden strike, Diawara admitted he could not have imagined the first Serie A goal of his career would come in such dramatic circumstances.

"It was a very important goal for the team and I am also happy for my first Serie A goal," he said. "I dedicate this goal to my mother, who died a year before I came to Italy, so she didn't get to see me play in Serie A.

"I did not imagine I'd score my first goal like that, but the ball came to me and I went for it. After the goal, all my team-mates, the coach and the staff gave me a pat on the back. I'll bring a cake to the locker room as thanks."

Head coach Sarri claimed it would have been an "injustice" if Napoli had lost a game that they completely dominated.

"We won a game that we thoroughly deserved to win," Sarri said. "It had seemed cursed - we had 31 shots on goal, missed a penalty, hit the woodwork. It was one of those classic games where the team does everything right and the ball won't go in.

"But we kept pushing at the end and the logical conclusion was that we would win the match. It was an injustice to be losing, so getting it back under control felt like the logical conclusion."