Inter Milan boss Roberto Mancini has paid tribute to Napoli forward Gonzalo Higuain following Monday's Serie A meeting between the two teams.

Inter entered the match atop the table, but a 2-1 defeat allowed Napoli to claim first position in the division after 14 matches.

Higuain scored both goals for Napoli in Naples, and Mancini has admitted that the Argentine forward 'gives Napoli something other teams do not have'.

"Higuain in Italy is like [Lionel] Messi to the rest of the world. He's giving something to Napoli that the other teams don't have," Mancini told Corriere dello Sport.

Higuain, 27, joined Napoli from Real Madrid in the summer of 2013 and has scored 67 times in 119 appearances for his Italian club.