Tommaso Baldanzi scored the only goal of the game to give Empoli a narrow 1-0 victory away to Inter at the San Siro on Monday evening. Milan Skriniar was dismissed in the first half after picking up two yellow cards but a poor offensive display from the Nerazzurri ultimately saw them leave empty handed.
Inter will feel they missed a great chance to narrow the gap between themselves and leaders Napoli after they put in a dreadful display against Empoli. The Nerazzurri remain 13 points behind the Partenopei after the defeat and will be utterly disappointed by their performance here. So, here’s our Inter player ratings for their loss at home to Empoli.
Inter: (3-5-2)
Andre Onana – 5
Made a couple of saves but could have done better to keep out Baldanzi’s strike.
Milan Skriniar – 2
Booked in the first half for a late challenge on Tyronne Ebuehi. Received his second yellow at the end of the first 45 for a high boot on Francesco Caputo. Deservedly sent off in what was a woeful performance.
Stefan de Vrij – 6.5
Was Inter’s best defender here and won a number of duels throughout. Struck the bar with a header in what was the hosts’ best chance of the match.
Alessandro Bastoni – 6
Won a number of challenges and was good in one-on-one’s but didn’t do enough overall.
Matteo Darmian – 5.5
Won a few tackles and looked fairly solid defensively but didn’t impact the game much here.
Nicolo Barella – 5
Offered a threat on the counter with pace at times but lacked quality with his final ball. Created a couple of chances. Marked down for some poor defending when he should have done more to track back and mark Baldanzi for the opening goal.
Hakan Calhanoglu – 6
Created a number of chances but again, similar to his midfield counter-parts, failed to impact the game enough. Did okay in the midfield battle.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 5
Didn’t impose himself on the match at all here in what was a rough evening for the Inter midfield.
Federico Dimarco – 5.5
Looked threatening at points but failed to show much before being subbed off in the second half.
Lautaro Martinez – 3
Virtually missing for the entire duration of the match and offered nothing going forward.
Joaquin Correa – 4
Showed some okay link up play at points but struggled to impact the game overall. Hooked at half time.
Substitutions
Raoul Bellanova – 4
Subbed on at half time but failed to impress in what was a difficult evening. Lacked support over on the right flank, however.
Edin Dzeko – 6
Had a decent chance shortly after being introduced but failed to keep his shot on goal. Improved the attack marginally for Inter when he came on but it wasn’t enough.