Hoping to improve on a shaky record that had seen them register just one win in five Serie A openers since 2019/20, Sassuolo faced a tough test against the current Scudetto holders, who assumed control of the contest from the off.
Debutant Kevin De Bruyne almost made an instant impact when picking out Amir Rrahmani, who dragged his strike wide, but Napoli were soon ahead thanks to Scott McTominay’s flicked header from an inswinging Matteo Politano cross.
The Neroverdi rarely troubled the visitors before the break, and their deficit was almost doubled on the stroke of half time as McTominay fired an effort onto the crossbar following a defensive lapse.
The same pattern of play resumed after the interval, with Napoli firmly in the ascendancy and looking to add to their lead, only being denied by the woodwork as Politano’s first-time shot spun onto the upright via a deflection.
However, the away side deservedly doubled their advantage with a touch of fortune soon after, seeing De Bruyne’s free-kick delivery evade everyone before bouncing inside the far post.
That goal marked just the third time Napoli have netted more than once in their last nine away league outings, yet with more than half an hour to play, further goals looked likely.
Needing a spark, Tarik Muharemović forced a stop from Alex Meret with a rifled shot from range, but that half-chance didn’t lead to a Sassuolo resurgence.
Any hope of a comeback was dashed in the 79th minute when Ismaël Koné was sent off, receiving a second yellow card for a lunging challenge on Lorenzo Lucca, allowing Napoli to see out the game with relative ease.
Fabio Grosso’s side didn’t manage any shutouts in their final four games last season, so it’s perhaps little surprise to see them concede against the Italian champions in what was always going to be a tough assignment.
It’s a very different story for Antonio Conte, whose side kept 19 clean sheets last campaign – the most in Europe’s top five leagues – and start here with yet another en route to three points.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Scott McTominay (Napoli)