Slow starts have hampered the Nerazzurri all season, and has left what many expected to be a title push in tatters. In the opening 45 minutes against Sassuolo, Inter were slow to find their footing yet again. While they created a flurry of scoring chances, the typically prolific strike partnership of Edin Dzeko and Lautaro Martinez appeared to have left their shooting boots back in Milan.
Much to the delight of the boisterous travelling Inter fans however, Dzeko broke his duck in the dying minutes of the first half by tapping home a Hakan Calhanoglu corner-kick to register his 100th goal in Serie A, and give the visitors the lead at the break.
The hosts would not let a late first-half concession sink them, however. The Neroverdi came out in the second interval firing, and it only took them 15 minutes to take advantage of their superiority. A superb move down the left-hand side of the attack was capped off by Davide Frattesi, who volleyed home a Rogerio cross to equalise.
The home crowd’s celebrations did not last long. Determined to pick up a first win in three matches, Inter were rampant in their efforts to reclaim the lead, and they were rewarded for their efforts when Dzeko headed home a Henrikh Mkhitaryan cross from just two yards out, securing all three points for the Nerazzurri in gutsy fashion.
With their two-game winning streak in SA now snapped, Sassuolo will look to recover their form next week, however they face a trip to joint league leaders Atalanta, which will be a tough test for the team looking for a first top-half finish in two years.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Edin Dzeko (Inter Milan)