Naples (Italy), Nov 3 (IANS): Dries Mertens had a hat trick to lead Napoli 5-1 over relegation-bound Empoli in the opener of the 11th round of the 2018-2019 Serie A season.

The win lifts Napoli to second place with 25 points, 3 behind leaders Juventus, though the Turin club have a game in hand. Empoli, with just 6 points, are 18th, reports Efe news.

The hosts were dominant from the start on Friday night and went up 1-0 in the 9th minute with a goal by Lorenzo Insigne, his seventh of the Serie A season.

Empoli made some inroads in the offensive zone and thought they were level after Luca Antonelli scored, but the goal was disallowed for an offside.

Instead, Mertens connected with a shot from distance to boost Napoli's lead to 2-0 in the 38th minute.

The visitors managed to pull one back with a goal by Francesco Caputo in the 58th minute, only to see Mertens score again six minutes later to make it 3-1.

Arkadiusz Milik got a fourth goal for the home side in the 90 minute and Mertens completed the triple with a strike in stoppage time.