Napoli's Serie A title ambitions took a huge hit in a 2-0 defeat at Champions League-chasing Inter on Saturday, while at the other end of the table Carpi gave their survival hopes a boost in a 4-1 win over 10-man Genoa.
Maurizio Sarri's Napoli were searching for a win that would have cut the lead of first-placed Juve to three points ahead of the reigning champions' encounter with Palermo on Sunday.
And they were behind in the fourth minute when Inter's in-form captain Mauro Icardi excellently controlled Gary Medel's long ball and clinically finished past Pepe Reina, despite suspicions of offside, for his fourth goal in five games.
Icardi then turned provider for Marcelo Brozovic to make it 2-0 on the counter-attack shortly before the break, as Roberto Mancini's men closed to within three points of third-placed Roma, who face Atalanta on Sunday.
But the match swung when Armando Izzo was harshly shown a second yellow card for a nudge on the counter-attacking Gaetano Letizia, and Carpi scored twice in first-half stoppage time to compound the visitors' misery.
In Saturday's other Serie A contest, Torino leap-frogged Genoa into 10th as Andrea Belotti's 93rd-minute penalty sank Bologna in 1-0 victory.
