After a thrilling 3-3 draw with Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League (UCL), Inter turned their attention to a faltering Serie A campaign. Last season’s runners-up were nine points adrift of top spot ahead of kick-off, but showed a clear sign of intent early on. Within the opening quarter-hour, Nicolò Barella laid off Lautaro Martínez, who put his side ahead, firing a bouncing effort beyond Luigi Sepe. Against the run of play, Grigoris Kastanos sent a ferocious shot into the side netting, before Edin Džeko wasted a pair of chances in quick succession. Milan Škriniar’s header then forced a save out of Sepe, and Denzel Dumfries’ low cross evaded Martínez’s attempted flick, as the hosts’ onslaught continued to the HT whistle.
Headers were very much becoming the order of the day, as the second period opened with two more menacing headed attempts. First, Martínez grazed the crossbar from Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s free-kick delivery, before Boulaye Dia forced a save from André Onana thanks to Antonio Candreva’s inspired crossfield ball. For all their dominance, the Nerazzurri were struggling to add to their slender lead, but as the hour mark approached, Inter found that elusive goal. Çalhanoğlu picked out Barella with a perfectly-judged long ball, allowing the Italy international to neatly control and sweep low past Sepe.
That second goal ultimately proved significant as Inter held firm to claim consecutive league victories for the first time since matchday two. Simone Inzaghi’s side are now just two points off the UCL spots, albeit having played one more game than their immediate rivals. Meanwhile, Salernitana’s search for back-to-back domestic wins goes on, as they remain rather comfortably in midtable.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Nicolò Barella (Inter Milan)
