Inter completed a late comeback to stun Lazio with a pair of Romelu Lukaku assists for Lautaro Martinez and Robin Gosens, getting them into joint fourth with Milan and Roma, as well as setting up Napoli’s Scudetto party.
This was a huge fixture, a head-to-head for the top four and with a potential knock-on effect to give Napoli the Scudetto. Milan Skriniar was injured, with Lautaro Martinez rested after the midweek Coppa Italia semi-final win over Juventus, while Danilo Cataldi returned from suspension and Ciro Immobile was back in the starting XI after recovering from a car crash.
Ivan Provedel got down well to palm a Marcelo Brozovic snooker shot out of the near bottom corner within five minutes, while Immobile was offside when forcing an acrobatic Andre Onana save.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s strike was too central to trouble Provedel, then Inter hit the back of the net on 26 minutes when Brozovic sent Tucu Correa down the right to pull back for a Mkhitaryan sweep home, but it was disallowed because the Argentina international was offside.
Instead, Lazio took the lead moments later, as Francesco Acerbi was caught napping by Felipe Anderson in the final third, who combined with Immobile and Luis Alberto to sweep in the opening goal from 12 yards, carving the Inter defence apart.
Mkhitaryan blasted just over from the edge of the area, while Nicolò Barella drilled inches wide, but another Acerbi slip sparked a counter that saw Onana make a desperate one-handed save on Immobile’s curler, Felipe Anderson’s follow-up deflected over by Alessandro Bastoni. On the resulting corner, Onana smothered the Alessio Romagnoli header.
Danilo Cataldi hobbled off with a bruised ankle, while Barella’s flicked volley sent a Dimarco cross inches past the far post.
Luis Alberto forced a save from Onana after a short corner, while Provedel got down to palm a ferocious Dimarco strike out of the far bottom corner and Denzel Dumfries went for an assist when he should’ve gone for goal.
Lautaro Martinez was running clear on goal only to be stopped by a sensational Nicolò Casale tackle, but Inter did manage to equalise eventually.
Lukaku used his strength to hold off a defender and flick the pass through, so Lautaro Martinez threw himself between two to get his toes to the ball before Provedel and prod in from close range.
It was end to end with both teams attacking constantly, and Lukaku provided another wonderful assist to turn it around, pretending to shoot from the edge of the box, instead floating the ball to the back post for an acrobatic Robin Gosens volley. It was too acrobatic, as the winger landed heavily and dislocated his shoulder.
Inter added a third thanks to a gift from their former player Matias Vecino, whose shocking back-pass was straight to Lautaro Martinez, squirming past Provedel one-on-one.
Onana denied Pedro in stoppages.
Inter 3-1 Lazio
Felipe Anderson 30 (L), Lautaro Martinez 78, 90 (I), Gosens 83 (I)
Player statistic
20' | Mattia Zaccagni | |||
30' | Felipe Anderson (Assist: Luis Alberto) | |||
Danilo D’Ambrosio | 35' |
Alessandro Bastoni | 62' | |||
Lautaro Martínez (Assist: Romelu Lukaku) |
77' | |||
81' | Adam Marusic | |||
Robin Gosens (Assist: Romelu Lukaku) |
83' | |||
83' | Luis Alberto | |||
Lautaro Martínez | 90' | |||
90+8' | Alessio Romagnoli |