It wasn’t always pretty but Inter are back atop the Serie A standings after securing a 2-1 victory over Brescia thanks to goals by Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku.
The Nerazzurri missed out on a chance to reclaim top spot on Saturday after being held to a 2-2 draw with Parma, but there was no repeat of that on Tuesday as Antonio Conte’s side did just enough to put away the plucky Rondinelle ahead of Juventus’ clash with Genoa on Wednesday.
Lautaro fired Inter ahead in the 23rd minute after his shot from distance took a lucky bounce, while Lukaku swept in a glorious second in the 63rd minute just as Brescia looked more likely to level the score.
Brescia were rewarded for their spirited second-half performance when Milan Skriniar inadvertently sent an own-goal past Samir Handanovic, but it proved to be not enough for the home side.
It was one-way traffic for much of the first half, as Inter headed into the break with 74 percent possession. Despite dominating the ball, most of their opportunities came from set-pieces.
Romelu Lukaku and Diego Godin headed over the bar early on, with the Nerazzurri finally breaking through in the 23rd minute in rather fortuitous circumstances. Lautaro fired from distance and his shot took a huge deflection off Andrea Cistana, with the looping effort leaving Enrico Alfonso with no chance.
Mario Balotelli burst into life immediately after the restart, only for Handanovic to expertly deny the former Inter man’s shot from distance.
Brescia continued to search for an equalizer when Donnarumma collected a loose ball from a corner, but Handanovic parried the close-range effort before Balotelli fell over while trying to collect the rebound.
Although the Rondinelle bossed proceedings for close to 15 minutes, Inter doubled their advantage against the run of play thanks to a powerful finish from Lukaku.
The Belgian picked up the ball in midfield and after surging forward and cutting in, fired a powerful curling left-footed strike into the top corner that left Alfonso with no chance.
Handanovic once again denied Balotelli, this time from a header from a corner, but he could do nothing minutes later when Dimitri Bisoli found space down the right flank. The midfielder fired on goal from a tight angle, and although he was denied by the Inter goalkeeper, the rebound came back of Skriniar and into the back of the net.
It proved to be the last talking point of the match, as Inter dealt with Brescia’s final ventures forward to claim three points.
