Serbian striker Vlahovic scored an excellent header in the first minute of stoppage time to overcome Juve’s problems, completing an excellent one-goal comeback at the Stadio Arechi.
“We gave it our all tonight and we deserve to win. We never give up, we give everything until the end,” Vlahovic told DAZN.
“Our goal is to get back to the Champions League, after that we’ll take the game as it comes and see where we go. “
The 23-year-old’s seventh goal of the season came at the end of a war in a soggy Salerno, where the hosts fought valiantly even after squandering striker Giulio Maggiore on a second booking in the 53rd minute.
Maggiore had given Salernitana the lead six minutes before the break, but substitute Samuel Iling-Junior equalised with a hard-hitting goal from close range in the 65th minute to level a blockbuster final.
And Vlahovic made sure Juve kept up the pace with Inter, who arguably won at Verona on Saturday and will face a much tougher run of matches over the next month.
Salernitana, beaten 6-1 by Juve in the Coppa Italia in midweek, bottom of the department after an unfortunate defeat, their fifth in seven games.
Furious Napoli fans threw flares onto the pitch at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino in the latest embarrassing defeat that left them languishing in ninth place thanks to goals from Antonio Sanabria, Nikola Vlasic and Alessandro Buongiorno.
Last season’s historic Scudetto is now forgotten as Napoli sink deeper and deeper into the abyss every week, their third defeat in four games in all competitions fully deserved after a chaotic performance in Turin.
Without Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, Walter Mazzarri’s side failed to score for the fourth game in a row and are unrecognizable from the team that won the title last season.
“We have to apologise to the enthusiasts for the performance. . . we are looking for tactics to cheer up the team and return to some kind of normality,” Napoli sporting director Mauro Meluso said.
Meluso spoke to DAZN after a series of post-match talks with Mazzarri and the team, and insisted that the coach, suspended for Sunday’s game, would not be sacked.
“I, the club and the team have full confidence in the coach, so we have no intention in that direction,” he added.
Mazzarri was hired to cover up the mess left by his predecessor Rudi Garcia, but Napoli are now 20 points behind league leaders Inter Milan and closer to the relegation zone than the top of the table.
An early goal from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and a penalty from Olivier Giroud in the 31st minute gave third-placed AC Milan a 3-0 win at Empoli, sealed through Chaka Traore with two minutes remaining.
Without several players due to injuries and the African Cup of Nations, Milan took advantage of the merit of their closest rivals to take the first 4 points.
Stefano Pioli’s side are six points behind fourth-placed Fiorentina, which lost 1-0 to Sassuolo on Saturday, and an extra point ahead of fifth-placed Bologna after their draw in Genoa.
Milan have endured an eventful campaign, plagued by injuries and doubts about Pioli’s future, but Sunday’s win is their fifth in six games in all competitions.
“It’s in the difficult moments that you learn if people have given up on you, and that wasn’t the case here,” said Pioli.
“When things are going well, we come together and lend a hand. “
Lazio prepare for the midweek derby against Roma in the quarterfinals of the Coppa Italia with a 2-1 win at Udinese.
Maurizio Sarri’s side are seventh, one point ahead of Roma, who drew 1-1 at home to sixth-placed Atalanta.