Lautaro Martinez helped Inter put their recent troubles behind them with a superb display to win a spectacular Derby della Madonnina against AC Milan 3-2.
Coming into the match, the Nerazzurri had won just one of their last five matches in all competitions, and were dumped out of the Europa League by Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday. Conversely, Milan were in the midst of a 10-match unbeaten run, but hadn’t emerged victorious against their city rivals since January 2016.
Matias Vecino scored the fastest derby goal at two minutes 31 seconds, since Pato in April 2011, who netted after 43 seconds. Stefan De Vrij made it two with a fantastic header early in the second half.
The goals came thick and fast as Milan looked to be on the verge of a comeback when Tiemoue Bakayoko pulled one back, but a Lautaro penalty seemed to end the Rossoneri’s hopes, that was until Mateo Musacchio blasted into the back of the net with just less than 20 minutes to play.
A third never came and as a result
Inter leapfrogged Milan in the Serie A table, moving into third, two points ahead of the Rossoneri.
Inter made a blistering start and opened the scoring after just three minutes. An Ivan Perisic cross was played deep into the box which Gianluigi Donnarumma tried to claim, but it was headed across goal by Lautaro into the path of Vecino who smashed into the roof of an empty net.
Lucas Paqueta tried his luck from long range, but Samir Handanovic beat the rasping effort away from goal.
Inter should have made it two, as Danilo D’Ambrosio got to the goal line and drove a low cross across the six-yard box which was just cut out by Davide Calabria, with the rebound falling to Vecino once more but his header was saved by Donnarumma.
This time it was Milan’s turn to fire in a deep cross and Another deep cross, and Paqueta headed just wide.
All the action was coming from the flanks as a cross from Perisic fell to Vecino, and he blasted well over from a good position.
Milan Skriniar glanced wide a header inches wide, before Perisic dribbled into the Milan penalty area but blasted over.
Chances were few and far between for a timid Milan, though a Hakan Calhanoglu freekick was hooked over his own bar by Perisic.
After the break Inter made it two, when Lautaro delivered a short corner onto the head of De Vrij whose looping effort caught Donnarumma out and fell into the back of the net.
Just six minutes later the defecit was reduced as Calhanogu floated a freekick into the box and Bakayoko rose to head past an outstretched Handanovic.
Skriniar was again causing havoc in the Milan penalty area as he got on the end of a Marcelo Brozovic freekick, but was denied by an acrobatic Donnarumma save,
The brief hopes Milan looked to have been extinguished as Matteo Politano was tripped on the edge of the 18-yard box by Samuel Castillejo and referee Michael Fabbri pointed to the spot. Lautaro stepped up and slotted past Donnarumma.
However, the goals kept coming and Suso swung the ball into the far post which the hit D’Ambrosio and was knocked away by Handanovic into the path of Musacchio to smash home.
Milan’s chances were almost ended with two minutes to go as Andrea Conti was initially sent off for a vicious challenge on Lautaro, but after consulting VAR, his card was reduced to yellow.
And in the final minute of the game, Inter almost conceded a long ball to the far post was met by Castillejo, but a brilliant save by Handanovic denied the Spaniard, before an unmarked Calabria has his low drive blocked by D’Ambrosio.
Source: forzaitalianfootball.com