Inter Milan extend lead
IMAGE: Davide Frattesi celebrates scoring Inter Milan’s second goal against Udinese in the Serie A match at San Siro on Sunday. Photograph: Jennifer Lorenzini/Reuters
Defending champions Inter Milan secured a 2-1 home win against Udinese in Serie A on Sunday with first-half goals from Marko Arnautovic and Davide Frattesi as goalkeeper Yann Sommer made some important late saves.
Arnautovic gave Inter the lead after 12 minutes and Frattesi doubled their advantage before the half-hour mark, both converting from excellent assists by Federico Dimarco.
Inter’s advantage narrowed when Udinese defender Oumar Solet scored with a stunning solo effort in the 71st minute from long range and Sommer pulled off crucial saves late on for Inter to seal the win.
Inter provisionally extended their lead at the top of the standings to six points before second-placed Napoli, on 61 points, host AC Milan later on Sunday.
Udinese are 10th with 40 points.
The hosts, who face city rivals AC Milan on Wednesday in the Coppa Italia semi-finals, were ruthless in the opening half and almost took the lead when Hakan Calhanoglu found the side netting inside the first minute with a powerful strike from outside the area.
IMAGE: Inter Milan’s Marcus Thuram in action. Photograph: Jennifer Lorenzini/Reuters
Chances kept coming for the hosts as Frattesi hit the post shortly before Arnautovic put Inter ahead with a first-time effort from around the penalty spot.
Dimarco squared the ball to Arnautovic from the left and the Austria forward made it two goals in his last two league appearances, scoring low inside the right post.
Frattesi doubled the advantage soon after, profiting from a near identical team move, with Dimarco setting him up from the left and Frattesi smashing the ball in with a half-volley.
Udinese had an excellent chance to pull a goal back before the break through striker Lorenzo Lucca, but his header was saved by Sommer.
Inter continued to look comfortable after the break until Solet found a way past Sommer.
The French defender, who joined Udinese in January from Red Bull Salzburg, controlled the ball in his own half and drove forward before firing home from distance inside the left post.
Sommer kept Inter in front three minutes later with a superb save, when he leapt to his right to deny another Lucca header.
Udinese could have levelled in stoppage time but the Switzerland keeper again came to their rescue when he kept out Solet’s effort from close range after a corner.
Udinese were without former Inter forward Alexis Sanchez and captain Florian Thauvin in attack.
Inter – still competing on three fronts, with a Champions League quarter-final to come against Bayern Munich next month – rested striker Lautaro Martinez and midfielder Nicolo Barella came on in the second half.
Napoli down Milan to keep pace in title race
IMAGE: Napoli’s Amir Rrahmani celebrates with Giovanni Di Lorenzo after winning the match against AC Milan. Photograph: Ciro De Luca/Reuters
First-half goals from Matteo Politano and Romelu Lukaku earned Napoli a 2-1 victory over visitors AC Milan on Sunday to move three points behind Serie A leaders Inter Milan.
Napoli, who came into the contest with only one win in their last seven league matches, have 64 points, six clear of third-placed Atalanta, who lost at Fiorentina earlier on Sunday. Defending champions Inter beat Udinese 2-1 at home.
“It was important to win. We started strongly, in the first half we could have scored a third goal. In the second half we suffered a bit but that’s to be expected,” Politano told DAZN.
“We have to take it one game at a time, we believe in ourselves. We want to give these fantastic fans something to cheer about.”
Politano opened the scoring 63 seconds into the match, pouncing on some sloppy Milan defending to power a long-range effort into the bottom corner.
Lukaku doubled the lead in the 19th minute, scoring his 400th professional goal with a scuffed shot past goalkeeper Mike Maignan following a great interception and pass by Billy Gilmour.
“400 goals is a lot, today’s win was very important. We prepared for the match in one way, but this morning the coach changed the plans,” Lukaku said after also netting his 11th Serie A goal this season.
“We suffered a little too much in the second half but we got the win and that’s good. Ours was a good response, we have to fight until the end.”
IMAGE: Romelu Lukaku scores Napoli’s second goal. Photograph: Ciro De Luca/Reuters
Antonio Conte’s side could have inflicted further damage, but Maignan denied Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa’s half-volley, after the midfielder had already gone close earlier with a back-heeled effort that went wide.
The visitors, who barely managed a shot on target until the second half, wasted a golden chance to pull one back in the 69th minute when Santiago Gimenez’s poor penalty was saved by Alex Meret after Philip Billing had been penalised for a foul on Theo Hernandez.
Yet Milan grew into the game, with Strahinja Pavlovic’s long-range effort being saved by Meret before Luka Jovic finally put them on the scoresheet six minutes from time, sliding to tap in Hernandez’s cross.
Milan pushed for a stoppage-time equaliser but ultimately suffered their 13th league defeat, leaving them ninth with 47 points, as pressure mounts on coach Sergio Conceicao amid a poor run of results that has left them nine points off the Champions League qualification spots.
