Inter Milan delivered a commanding 2-0 victory over Como at San Siro on Sunday, closing to within a single point of Serie A leaders Lazio and reigniting a fiercely contested title race.
First-half strikes from Francesco Pio Esposito and Marcus Thuram settled the contest inside 20 minutes, ending Como’s six-match winning streak — a run that had peaked with a stunning 9-1 Champions League demolition of French side RC Lens, the largest away win in the competition’s history.
Inter Answer Derby Defeat in Style
Smarting from their first league loss of the season against city rivals AC Milan a week earlier, Inter responded with a performance of controlled aggression at both ends of the pitch.
Esposito opened the scoring after 12 minutes, converting an inviting cross from Djed Spence, before Thuram doubled the advantage soon after, lashing a shot past goalkeeper Robert Sanchez after a poor Como clearance fell invitingly into his path.
“Today we played well in every aspect,” said Inter coach Cristian Chivu. “We put pressure on their build-up and accepted that they could cause us problems. We counter-attacked with ferocity and were clinical in front of goal. I applaud my players for a performance of maturity and quality.”
Como, coached by Cesc Fabregas, produced an uncharacteristically muted display and struggled to respond. Federico Dimarco and Thuram threatened a third after the break, while Nico Paz clipped the crossbar late on for the visitors.
Milan Leapfrog Como Into Fourth
The defeat allowed AC Milan to leapfrog Como into fourth place on 24 points, after Alphadjo Cisse and Christian Pulisic struck in a 2-1 win over Genoa at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.
Ruben Amorim’s side, impressive in their 3-1 derby triumph last weekend, saw inconsistency resurface with a 2-0 Europa League home loss to Ferencvaros on Thursday. But they produced a much-improved start on Sunday, with Cisse sweeping in after 13 minutes and Pulisic doubling the lead six minutes later. Mikael Ellertsson’s late goal for Genoa proved only a consolation.
Lazio Held as Napoli Stop the Rot
Leaders Lazio dropped points for just the second time this season, drawing 1-1 at struggling Napoli. Davide Frattesi’s opener was cancelled out by an Alfonso Pedraza own goal.
Napoli, who had been sent into a training retreat following defeats to Juventus and FC Porto, claimed a point against Gennaro Gattuso’s unbeaten side but remain 14 points adrift of the leaders in 10th.
“We must keep going; everything’s not lost even if we are behind in the standings,” said Napoli coach Massimiliano Allegri.
With two points now separating Lazio from third-placed AS Roma, the title race is tightening at the top.
Juventus Held Again as Pressure Mounts
Juventus twice fought back to claim a 2-2 draw at Fiorentina, but the result left Luciano Spalletti’s side seventh on 18 points — further adrift in the race for Champions League qualification.
Mateo Pellegrino headed Fiorentina in front from a corner after four minutes, only for Randal Kolo Muani to tee up Nick Woltemade for his first Serie A goal. Alieu Njie restored the hosts’ lead early in the second half with his third goal in three games, but uncertain goalkeeping from David de Gea allowed Gleison Bremer to head into an unguarded net. Guglielmo Vicario made two crucial late saves as Fiorentina pushed in vain for a third lead.
Fiorentina moved two points clear of the relegation zone on nine points.
Elsewhere in Serie A
- Atalanta ended a six-match winless run in all competitions with a 1-0 victory over Monza, courtesy of a Nikola Krstovic strike.
- Como’s defeat at San Siro halted a remarkable sequence that had included their record-setting Champions League rout of RC Lens.
- Inter climb back into second, one point behind Lazio with the title race wide open.
