Inter Milan stored in contact with Napoli after seeing off struggling Empoli 3-1 on Sunday and going three factors behind the Serie A leaders.
Objectives within the second half from Lautaro Martinez, Denzel Dumfries and Marcus Thuram ensured a hard-fought win for champions Inter on the San Siro with out their suspended coach Simone Inzaghi.
Napoli have change into the staff to beat due to their thrilling 3-2 win at Atalanta, who’re seven factors off the tempo in third, on Saturday however Inter even have a recreation in hand.
Nonetheless, Inter have a packed schedule because of their Champions League commitments whereas Napoli don’t have any European soccer after their disastrous title defence final season.
In addition to their remaining two league part fixtures within the Champions League — towards Sparta Prague and Monaco in consecutive weeks — Simone Inzaghi’s staff have the Milan derby and journeys to Juventus, Napoli and Atalanta between now and mid-March.
“We barely have time to suppose as a result of we’re at all times taking part in,” stated Inzaghi’s assistant Massimiliano Farris to DAZN.
“We have gained 12 instances and drawn three in our final 15 league matches and we’re in with an incredible likelihood of attending to the final 16 of the Champions League with out having to undergo the play-offs.”
Captain Martinez’s distance effort within the fifty fifth minute took his league complete to eight objectives from 18 appearances, a way off the 24 he racked up on the way in which to guiding Inter to their twentieth league title final time period.
The Argentina striker hadn’t scored at house since early November earlier than Wednesday’s 2-2 draw with Bologna however his objective towards Empoli was his second in as many matches on the San Siro.
Dumfries’ thumping header, from Kristjan Asllani’s 79th-minute nook, was key as Inter have been removed from their finest and as soon as Inter loanee Sebastiano Esposito halved the deficit for 14th-placed Empoli within the 83rd minute a wave of fear swept the stadium.
Followers breathed a collective signal of aid six minutes later when Thuram swept in his thirteenth league objective of the marketing campaign to seal the factors and hold Inter’s title defence rolling on.
– Lazio keep fourth –
Earlier, Lazio stayed in Serie A’s Champions League locations after thumping struggling Verona 3-0.
Marco Baroni’s Lazio went forward with only a minute on the clock by Samuel Gigot, and additional strikes from Boulaye Dia and captain Mattia Zaccagni put them fourth, two factors above Juventus who beat AC Milan on Saturday.
Sunday’s success ended a three-match winless streak for Lazio, which included derby defeat to rivals Roma, and left Verona within the relegation zone.
Verona slumped to their 14th defeat in 21 league fixtures in entrance of recent chairman Italo Zanzi following the membership’s acquisition by American personal fairness agency Presidio Traders on Wednesday.
The brand new homeowners have a job on their arms on the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi as Verona are deep within the battle towards the drop, sitting in 18th place and separated by objective distinction from Como who’re simply exterior the underside three and host Udinese on Monday.
Verona are within the drop zone because of Cagliari’s 4-1 thumping of fellow strugglers Lecce which moved the Sardinian outfit as much as thirteenth.
Simply two factors separate Cagliari and Verona, with Lecce, Parma — who drew 1-1 with second-from-bottom Venezia — and Empoli all on 20 factors.
Verona, who completed the match with 10 males following Ondrej Duda’s late sending-off, make the quick journey to regional rivals Venezia subsequent week.
td/jc/nf
