Inter see off ten-man Chievo to take back third

Date: 13th May 2019 at 10:53pm
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Inter retook third place in Serie A after Matteo Politano and Ivan Perisic helped the Nerazzurri to a 2-0 win over already relegated Chievo.

It was Politano’s 25th career Serie A goal which put the Nerazzurri on their way to leapfrogging Atalanta, before Perisic sealed the win late on, after Nicola Rigoni had been sent off for the visitors.

As a result, Inter made it 16 consecutive matches unbeaten at the Stadio Meazza against Chievo, and put an end to a three-match winless run in Serie A.

Chievo started brightly, but soon after Inter’s superior quality won out and they had the Flying Donkeys pinned in their own half.

Chances though, were few and far between with Radja Nainggolan having a go from distance, the best Inter could muster.

Adrian Semper was called into action as good work on the left between Kwadwo Asamoah and Ivan Perisic saw the Croat in on goal, but his fellow countryman made a strong save.

The breakthrough came after a mistake on the edge of the box by Chievo with the ball then falling to Politano, after Perisic had a strike, and the No.16 wrong footed Semper as his shot rolled in off the post.

After the break, Emanuel Vignato went close with a curling effort from just inside the penalty area, then Mauro Icardi headed just over at the other end.

A double save from Semper kept Chievo in the game. First denying Politano then reacting quickly to stop Perisic from tapping in.

It should have been two for Inter with Icardi winning the ball in midfield, then feeding Nainggolan who drove forward and found Perisic unmarked on the left. The No.44 cut inside but despite beating Semper, he could only hit the post.

Things went from bad to worse for Chievo when Rigoni was handed a second yellow card for a foul on Roberto Gagliardini, and consequently given his marching orders.

Perisic sounded out the win with four minutes left to play, emerging in the right place at the right time to slide into an empty net.

No cutting edge

Despite having almost 70 percent possession, and keeping Chievo pinned on the edge of their own box for most of the game, Inter were uninspired. There was a lack of cutting edge up front with Icardi taking the brunt of criticism from the fans when he was roundly booed when substituted. Long shots and crosses to nowhere were the order of the day, in reality it should have been more then 2-0. They did nullify the Flying Donkeys well, given they never even had a shot on target, but Luciano Spalletti will no doubt want more from his side as they seek to secure Champions League qualification next week at Napoli.

 

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