Inter Milan reclaimed the Serie A lead with a comfortable victory against Udinese.
After Juventus briefly dethroned Inter with a win over Napoli on Friday night, the Milan side reclaimed the top spot with their 12th victory in 15 league games this season.
Hakan Calhanoglu, Federico Dimarco, and Marcus Thuram all found the net in the first half for Inter, and Lautaro Martinez added his 14th league goal late in the match.
Inter currently holds a two-point lead over Juventus and maintains a nine-point gap from third-placed AC Milan, who suffered a loss to Atalanta earlier.
From the start, Inter dominated the game, with Serie A’s top scorer Martinez hitting the post and Udinese keeper Marco Silvestri making a remarkable low save from Dimarco.
The breakthrough occurred when Martinez was fouled in the box by Nehuen Perez, leading to a penalty awarded after a lengthy Video Assistant Referee (VAR) check. Calhanoglu successfully converted the penalty, sending Silvestri the wrong way.
Dimarco asserted Inter’s dominance by unleashing a potent left-footed shot into the far corner, while Thuram secured an indisputable lead before halftime, concluding a 21-pass sequence with a close-range finish from Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s exquisite cross.
Adding a final flourish to the scoreline, Argentine Martinez sealed the victory with a robust strike just over five minutes before the end.
Atalanta dent AC Milan’s title hopes
Earlier, AC Milan faced a setback in their pursuit of the Serie A title as Luis Muriel secured a 95th-minute backheeled winner for Atalanta in a 3-2 triumph.
Atalanta twice took the lead in Bergamo courtesy of former Everton and Fulham forward Ademola Lookman, but Olivier Giroud equalized in first-half stoppage time, and Luka Jovic leveled the score again with 10 minutes remaining.
The turning point came when Milan defender Davide Calabria received his second yellow card, leading to his dismissal.
In the final moments, Muriel stole the spotlight, capitalizing on a slick Atalanta move with a clever finish past Mike Maignan from six yards, sparking jubilation among the home fans.
This defeat, only Milan’s fourth in the league this season, comes at an inopportune time ahead of Wednesday’s pivotal Champions League clash against Newcastle. Stefano Pioli’s side must secure a victory to keep their hopes of advancing to the knockout stages alive.