Inter are the new Serie A leaders after crushing Walter Mazzarri’s Cagliari 4-0 with a Lautaro Martinez brace, sensational Alexis Sanchez volley and Hakan Calhanoglu screamer, despite a saved penalty.
The Nerazzurri knew that with Milan drawing and Napoli losing, a win would put them top of the table alone. Stefan de Vrij returned after an injury lay-off, with Alexis Sanchez allowing Edin Dzeko to rest, but Andrea Ranocchia, Mattia Darmian and Joaquin Correa were out of action. The Sardinians were coming off four consecutive draws, but Kevin Strootman, Nahitan Nandez, Luca Ceppitelli, Sebastian Walukiewicz and Marko Rog were on the treatment table. It was a special game for ex-Inter figures Walter Mazzarri, Keita Balde Diao, Diego Godin and Henrique Dalbert.
Milan Skriniar stung Alessio Cragno’s gloves, while Lautaro Martinez and Alexis Sanchez had efforts charged down.
The deadlock was broken after 29 minutes when Hakan Calhanoglu from a corner found Lautaro Martinez’s header at the near post.
Alessandro Deiola tried to test Samir Handanovic from distance, while Joao Pedro flashed a ball across the six-yard box, but Alberto Grassi only got a slight touch.
Cragno rushed off his line to deny Alexis Sanchez from close range, while Lautaro Martinez couldn’t connect with a Denzel Dumfries assist across the face of goal.
Dalbert made a mess of intercepting Alexis Sanchez’s through ball, so Cragno had to take Dumfries down one-on-one. However, the goalkeeper made up for it by parrying Lautaro Martinez’s penalty.
Marcelo Brozovic’s volley was hit a little too perfectly, straight at Cragno, going into half-time.
Inter did double their lead with a moment of real quality, as Barella juggled at the by-line and flicked the cross back over his head, finding Alexis Sanchez for a perfect volley from 12 yards.
Dumfries was sent clear by a marvellously-weighted through ball, but Cragno again rushed out to rescue Cagliari, then Marcelo Brozovic failed to make the most of a Barella back-heel assist.
Hakan Calhanoglu kept things simple with a ferocious right-foot strike into the far top corner from just outside the box.
Moments later, Barella floated a ball over the top, which Lautaro Martinez controlled with his shoulder to score with a delicate dink on the volley past Cragno.
If not for the goalkeeper, it would’ve been a record-breaking defeat, because Cragno made sensational saves to deny Barella’s screamer and a Skriniar flick from close range on the resulting corner.
When he was beaten by another Alexis Sanchez strike, Cragno was rescued by the crossbar.
Inter 4-0 Cagliari
Lautaro Martinez 29, 68 (I), Alexis Sanchez 51 (I), Calhanoglu 66 (I)
Saved penalty: Lautaro Martinez 44 (I)