AFP – Inter Milan continued their march towards the Serie A title with yesterday’s 4-0 thumping of Atalanta which extended their league lead to 12 points.
Convincing victory in their game in hand at the San Siro took Inter’s all-competitions winning streak to 11 matches and left closest rivals Juventus trailing in the distance.
Simone Inzaghi’s side were missing key players Francesco Acerbi, Hakan Calhanoglu and Marcus Thuram but it made little difference against one of the division’s form teams.
Matteo Darmian got the ball rolling in the 26th minute with his first club goal of the season before Lautaro Martinez scored his 26th on the stroke of half-time with a sensational spin and left-footed hit.
Martinez was denied a brace when Marco Carnesecchi saved his penalty nine minutes after the break, but Federico Dimarco was on hand to ram home the rebound.
However things might not have gone all their way had Charles De Ketelaere’s early opener for Atalanta not been chalked off for a Aleksei Miranchuk handball following a long VAR check.
Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini was visibly irritated by that decision and the awarding – for another handball by Hans Hateboer – of the spot-kick which led to Dimarco ending the match as a contest.
Heavy defeat ensured that Gasperini’s team stay fifth, two points behind Bologna who have the advantage in the race for the Champions League.
But Inter dominated from the moment De Ketelaere’s goal was disallowed and substitute Davide Frattesi completed the rout in the 71st minute with a header from Alexis Sanchez’s free-kick, as Inter put four past their opponents for the fourth straight league match.
