After a sleepy start to the match, the visitors took the lead in the 13th minute when a blocked Leonardo Spinazzola effort fell right into the path of Højlund, who netted from just inside the six-yard box for his fifth Serie A goal of the season.
Hojlund then had a golden opportunity to extend Napoli’s lead after 35 minutes when he suddenly found himself with just the goalkeeper to beat, but a heavy touch from the forward came to Cremonese’s rescue as Emil Audero gratefully won possession back for his side.
However, Højlund soon made amends as he bagged his second goal of the afternoon on the stroke of half-time.
Antonio Conte’s side never really reached top gear at any point before the interval, yet static defending from the hosts allowed Hojlund to rifle the ball home from eight yards out, sending the reigning Italian champions two clear.
The visitors began the second half on the front foot and came close to extending their lead further just five minutes after the break, when Højlund latched onto an excellent pass from Scott McTominay, but his attempt from inside the box could only glance off the side-netting.
Midway through the second half, Napoli continued to assert their dominance as Amir Rrahmani was presented with an excellent chance to wrap up the points, only for his header from a corner kick to flash inches wide of the post.
With less than 20 minutes remaining, the Azzurri wasted a glorious chance to notch a third goal as the hosts struggled to find a way to get back into contention.
A rapid shot from McTominay was parried by Audero right into the path of Højlund and Noa Lang, yet to the visiting support’s frustration, both players got in each other’s way, and the eventual close-range effort was fired off-target.
Ultimately, Napoli remained on top to claim a welcome victory that sees them end 2025 on a high, boosting title ambitions after losing to Udinese in their most recent Serie A game.
Meanwhile, Cremonese remain 12th after their third successive game without a win, and will face relegation-threatened Fiorentina away from home in their next league game.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Scott McTominay (Napoli)