Dries Mertens scored four goals as Napoli reached third place in the Serie A table with a 5-3 victory over Torino at the Stadio San Paolo.
The Belgian winger reached double figures for the season with a nine-minute first-half hat trick before adding a fourth after defender Vlad Chiriches had scored to help suppress a Torino fightback.
Andrea Belotti, who is two goals beyond Mertens on 12 in the 2016-17 Capocannoniere, notching after the break, with Luca Rossettini and Iago Falque also leading the Granata's failed rally.
AC Milan's failure to beat Atalanta on Saturday night left third up for grabs, and Napoli wasted no time snatching it.
Ten-man Inter Milan claimed their third successive win for the first time this season after a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Sassuolo.
Antonio Candreva scored the only goal of the match shortly after the break with a powerful drive from 12 yards, having been denied in the opening 45 minutes by the woodwork.
The hosts pushed for an equaliser with Gregoire Defrel and Stefano Sensi both spurning opportunities before Felipe Melo saw red for two bookable offences as the Nerazzurri held onto the three points.
Lazio drew level on points with third-placed Napoli in the table by beating Fiorentina 3-1 at the Stadio Olimpico.
Simone Inzaghi's men dominated and took a healthy advantage into the break thanks to Keita Balde Diao's opener and a Lucas Biglia penalty.
In the second half Josip Ilicic missed from the spot but Fiorentina would manage to score through Mauro Zarate before Stefan Radu confirmed the outcome.
Sergio Pellissier's penalty proved decisive as Chievo reached the top half of the table with a 2-1 home victory over Sampdoria.
Riccardo Meggiorini fired the Flying Donkeys ahead inside nine minutes and, three minutes before the break, they doubled their advantage when Pellissier converted from the spot following a foul by visiting goalkeeper Christian Puggioni.
Samp substitute Patrik Schick caused late concern with a stoppage-time strike from Vasco Regini's assist, but Chievo had already done enough.
The Verona club are now 10th after recording back-to-back wins, while Samp slip to 13th after consecutive defeats.
Substitute Aleksandar Trajkovski scored a last-minute winner as Palermo recovered from two goals down to end a 12-game winless run with a dramatic 4-3 success at Genoa.
Giovanni Simeone twice put the hosts ahead, either side of Robin Quaison's equaliser, before Nikola Ninkovic looked to have sealed the three points by making it 3-1 with 25 minutes remaining.
Struggling Palermo, who had lost their previous nine Serie A matches and last won on September 21, had other ideas and Edoardo Goldaniga pulled one back, prior to Andrea Rispoli levelling matters two minutes from time.
Macedonian forward Trajkovski, making his first appearance of the season, then fired into the bottom left corner to snatch a victory which moves Palermo off the bottom of the table, before Genoa goalkeeper Mattia Perin was sent off for violent conduct deep into stoppage time.
Cyril Thereau scored twice as Udinese beat Crotone 2-0 to make it three wins in three.
The 33-year-old got in behind the Crotone defence to hook home Jakub Jankto's free kick two minutes before the interval.
And on the hour mark Duvan Zapata reached the byline and cut the ball back for Thereau to sweep into the net.
Thereau went in search of a hat trick but was twice denied by Crotone keeper Alex Cordaz.
Crotone finished with 10 men when Cordaz was sent off for handling outside the area four minutes from time.
Bologna secured a first win in seven attempts with a 3-0 victory at fellow strugglers Pescara.
Adam Masina headed the visitors ahead from Federico Viviani's cross after just seven minutes and Pescara's task was made all the more difficult 10 minutes later when Valerio Verre was sent off for a lunge on Anthony Mounier.
Blerim Dzemaili doubled the lead two minutes before half-time when his deflected shot from outside the penalty area looped into the top corner.
Bologna were gifted a third 12 minutes after the break when Alessandro Crescenzi fouled Mattia Destro in the area and Ladislav Krejci tucked in the penalty.