Inter's lethal Lautaro leaves Milan feeling Blue in the derby
One of world football’s most historic and significant derbies was given quite the backdrop in the early going, with both sets of fans creating a raucous atmosphere inside the iconic San Siro. Stefano Pioli’s Milan came into the contest under intense scrutiny, after overseeing consecutive defeats while conceding 4+ goals. A change in system to match up Inter’s three-back system failed to have the desired effect, with the Nerazzurri dominating throughout the first half. Ciprian Tătărușanu was busy, denying Lautaro Martínez with an impressive save early on.
Going into the weekend, only three sides in the division had conceded more first-half goals than Milan, so an Inter opener seemed inevitable. That goal would eventually arrive through the irrepressible Martínez, who netted for the seventh time against the Rossoneri with a trademark near-post header that left Tătărușanu helpless. The goalkeeper’s frustration after conceding was clear and no doubt shared by everyone of a Milan persuasion, as his side had failed to register a single shot by the time HT arrived.
The battle of wits between Tătărușanu and Martínez continued after the interval, with the Milan goalkeeper again on hand to prevent Inter from extending their advantage. Pioli’s change in system in the early stages of the second half had stemmed the tide, at least allowing the designated visitors to escape their own half on a more regular basis.
Perhaps complacency had set in amongst Simone Inzaghi’s players after the first half was so comfortable, but his team struggled to match Milan’s intensity after the break and found themselves doing the lion’s share of the defending. With confidence low though, Milan failed to adequately test Andre Onana, who remained little more than a spectator as the Rossoneri fell to a fifth straight league game without a win. Inter, meanwhile, remain Napoli’s nearest challengers at the top of the table, but still sit a huge 13 points adrift after 21 games.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)