Despite possessing the most potent attack in Serie A with 21 goals this season prior to kick-off, Inter struggled early on against the division’s second-worst defence as the visitors held their own.
Nicolo Barella had the only real sight of goal in the early stages, but his curling shot was easily dealt with by David de Gea.
However, although they looked comfortable at the back, Fiorentina struggled to create any danger in the final third, and had to rely on the Spanish keeper to make two superb saves around the half-hour mark.
The first saw De Gea get a foot to Marcus Thuram’s driven shot before he sensationally reached back to scoop away Pio Esposito’s goalbound header from the resulting corner.
The hosts ramped up the pressure just before half-time, and De Gea had to make another strong diving stop from Thuram to keep La Viola on level terms at the interval.
The same pattern continued after the break as Inter dominated possession, but clear-cut chances eluded them as the visiting defence held firm.
Then, with 25 minutes to go, the hosts were punished for failing to make their pressure count, falling behind out of nowhere.
Alex Jimenez didn’t have many options as he received the ball on the right, so he took a touch before unleashing a rocket into the top corner to give his side a shock lead.
The home side continued to push forward after going behind, but became increasingly frustrated as de Gea’s goal appeared to live a charmed life.
Carlos Augusto hit the bar twice, first diverting Hakan Calhanoglu’s free-kick firmly onto the bar, before a flicked header from a corner clipped the frame of the goal.
The final minutes saw Inter go all-out for the equaliser, and they finally found a way past De Gea when Thuram rolled the ball into the bottom corner through a crowd of players.
The drama wasn’t over, though, as Inter were awarded a penalty deep into stoppage time after Thuram was dragged to the ground by Victor Valdepenas, and Piotr Zielinski fired it into the top corner to snatch all three points.
Having gone into the game in the bottom three, Fiorentina will be devastated to have given away a lead at the home of the reigning Italian champions and leave with nothing. As a result, they remain in 18th, whilst Inter move to the top of Serie A, level with Lazio and four points clear of the chasing pack.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Marcus Thuram (Inter)
