Inter Milan maintained their four-point advantage at the top of Serie A with a 2-0 victory over Lecce on Saturday, while Napoli suffered a 2-0 setback at Roma, finishing with nine men.
Inter recovered from a midweek cup setback to Bologna with Yann Bissek’s first goal in Italy shortly before halftime at the San Siro, and Nicolo Barella’s late finish was enough to put nearest opponents Juventus at bay.
“We came into the game off the back of a result which made us unhappy because we played well in the cup,” Inzaghi remarked.
“It was important to win and that wasn’t guaranteed after Wednesday’s game, so I’m really happy.”
Bissek, 23, has had a difficult start to life at Inter, but his header from Hakan Calhanoglu’s exquisite free-kick concluded a magnificent display at center-back and guided Inter to a fourth consecutive league victory.
Inter are chasing their 20th league championship and seem to be on track after defeating 12th-placed Lecce without injured star scorer Lautaro Martinez.
Marko Arnautovic’s disappointing performance up front underscored Inter’s reliance on 17-goal Martinez, and their uncommon impotence enabled Lecce to remain in the game until Barella increased the hosts’ advantage in the 78th minute.
Following that strike, Arnautovic was mobbed by teammates, as it was his brilliant flick that put Barella clear through to score his second of the season and bring the match to a close.
“They know I’m having a bad spell,” said Arnautovic, who also missed a handful of good chances.
“I’m almost back to my old self.” They notice it, and they chat to me every day, but it hasn’t been easy.”
Dusan Vlahovic scored the game-winning goal for Juventus in a 2-1 victory against Frosinone.
Serbia striker Vlahovic has six league goals after scoring with nine minutes left after Jaime Baez had equalized for the hosts after Kenan Yildiz’s opening early in his maiden Juve start.
“A striker is obviously not happy when they don’t score, or not consistently, but I work hard every day to give something to the team,” Vlahovic said in an interview with DAZN.
Napoli loses against Roma
Romelu Lukaku of AS Roma celebrates after scoring his side’s second goal against Napoli. REUTERS PHOTOGRAPHY
After the latest setback in a terrible season, Napoli slipped 17 points behind Inter as Roma restarted their drive for a top-four position.
Substitute Lorenzo Pellegrini scored in the 76th minute in an ill-tempered, chaotic match at the Stadio Olimpico that saw 13 cautions and two red cards, before Romelu Lukaku sealed the victory deep in stoppage time.
Roma climbed up to sixth place, ahead of Napoli, whose star striker Victor Osimhen was one of two players sent off on the same day he signed a long-awaited contract extension until 2026.
“We needed to make it a happy Christmas for the fans,” Mourinho said to DAZN.
“We played very well eleven against eleven, had two great chances early on and were always in control.”
Roma will be buoyed by a merited victory that has moved them within three points of high-flying Bologna, who will be fourth at Christmas after defeating Atalanta 1-0.
Lewis Ferguson of Scotland scored the game-winning header with four minutes left at the Stadio Dall’Ara, as Bologna maintained their extraordinary season by staying in the Champions League places.
Ferguson’s bullet header was the 24-year-old’s fourth goal of his excellent second season in Italy.
Ferguson, who is also looking forward to Euro 2024 next summer, is optimistic about Bologna’s prospects of qualifying for the Champions League.
“Of course it’s possible,” he said.
“We work so hard… everyone at the club is together, and we’re all pulling in the same direction.” There is a genuine belief.”
Verona pulled out of the relegation zone with a 2-0 win against Cagliari, ending a 14-match losing skid.