Napoli got off to a fast start, and Torino goalkeeper Alberto Paleari was at the centre of it. He made an outstanding save to deny Mathias Olivera from close range after the visitors failed to clear a corner, but was left red-faced mere moments later.
Alisson struck it well enough from the edge of the box, but his skimming effort should never have squirmed its way in at the near post for his second goal since his loan move from Sporting CP in January.
Il Toro did manage to muster some kind of response, albeit without ever looking too convincing. Vanja Milinkovic-Savic had to make a sharp intervention to deny Nikola Vlasic a tap-in, and the Croatian then tested the stopper from range.
But newly-appointed manager Roberto D'Aversa could have few complaints with reaching half-time just one goal down, having creaked and strained under Partenopei pressure. Rasmus Hojlund came closest to adding a second before the interval, but sent a header narrowly over the bar.
The Napoli assault continued into the second half, and Paleari made partial amends for his earlier mistake when he palmed away two more long-range Alisson efforts. He also stood tall to deny Hojlund, after the Dane had shown great strength to spin his defender in the box.
The goalkeeper had to rely on a defender on the line to deny Alessandro Buongiorno in the 66th minute, but the one-way traffic finally paid dividends two minutes later, when Elmas found the net against the club he represented on loan last year.
The icing on the cake for Antonio Conte was the long-awaited return of Kevin De Bruyne, who had been out injured since October last year. The Belgian replaced the impressive Alisson for the closing stages, but he had to endure a nervy finish after Cesare Casadei pulled one back for Torino late on.
That proved to be a consolation, although better control from Che Adams could have snatched a dramatic draw. The result moves Napoli five points clear of fourth-placed AS Roma, albeit having played an extra game.
Torino, whose wait for back-to-back league wins stretches back to Christmas Day, remain 14th, six points above the relegation zone.
Flashcore Man of the Match: Alisson Santos (Napoli)
