Napoli have climbed into the top three of Serie A courtesy of a 1-0 victory over Fiorentina at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

The visitors had the crossbar to thank for not falling behind inside the opening 18 minutes when Khouma Babacar's long-range strike came crashing back off frame of the goal.

Gonzalo Higuain weaved his way through the opposition defence moments later, although he could not find the target at the end of his individual run.

Napoli went in search of an opener as half time approached, and they thought they had found one when Higuain put the ball into the net, only for the linesman to flag for offside as the sides went into the interval all square.

The second half continued in much the same manner with the Partenopei pushing for a breakthrough, but a mixture of good goalkeeping and a lack of finishing meant that the game remained locked at 0-0 as we approached the hour.

Fiorentina could not keep Napoli out for much longer, however, and Higuain found himself in the right place at the right time to fire home a rebound inside the box to put his side ahead.

Mario Gomez came close to wrapping up the points when he struck the crossbar with his headed effort, while Higuain failed to convert when picked out in a good position inside the penalty area.

Despite Fiorentina upping their game, they were unable to find an equaliser in the remaining time with Napoli holding out for all three points which lifts them into a Champions League berth.