In a match with significant Champions League ramifications, Denzel Dumfries and Romelu Lukaku starred as Inter overcame Roma 2-0. Jose Mourinho’s side struggled to break through the visitors’ backline, and a strong bench performance from Lautaro Martinez confirmed the result.
Andre Onana – 7
Once again, Inter’s backline prevented their opponents from frequently challenging Onana, but the goalkeeper performed when needed.
Francesco Acerbi – 8
Inter used Acerbi as the primary defender against Lorenzo Pellegrini, and the centre-back rose to the occasion. Roma’s captain and Andrea Belotti were both in dangerous form, but Acerbi and the other defenders effectively neutralized the pair.
Alessandro Bastoni – 6.5
Bastoni did not contribute as much as usual to the Inter attack, but he made no serious mistakes on the backline.
Matteo Darmian – 7
Like Acerbi, Darmian was incredibly consistent in the back three. He won his fair share of challenges and often came off the line into the midfield to disrupt Roma’s build-up play.
Federico Dimarco – 8
While replacing the injured Robin Gosens, Dimarco made a significant impact. He was dynamic on the left wing and ultimately nabbed a goal after a quality back-post run.
Denzel Dumfries – 8
After weeks of getting into good positions but not making them count, Dumfries finally made his mark in the final third. In the first half, he played in a wonderful cross to the back-post, creating a tap-in goal for the visitors.
Marcelo Brozovic – 8.5
Seemingly every time Inter attacked, Brozovic was the architect. The midfielder dished out passes of all shapes and sizes, creating chances on the dribble, by playing quick combinations and by releasing counter attacks.
Hakan Calhanoglu – 6.5
While Calhanoglu was not quite as creative as Brozovic, his passing was similarly influential and helped Inter retain possession.
Nicolo Barella – 5.5
Barella was not at his best against Roma, at times going down far too easily in the congested midfield.
Joaquin Correa – 4
As mentioned by Paramount’s Marco Messina, Simone Inzaghi just can’t give up on Correa. The Argentine is pedestrian (at best) in open play, and Inter often relies on Lautaro off the bench to compensate for his lack of goals.
Romelu Lukaku – 7.5
Rather than taking shots for himself, Lukaku continues to prioritize setting up chances for other players, and, when paired with non-prolific forwards like Correa, this can hinder the offense. Nonetheless, the striker netted the game-winning goal after Lautaro played him a wonderful through-ball.
?? Massive game in Serie A today.
?️ Roma v Inter Milan
It's a big one when it comes to the race to finish inside the Champions League places.
I expect a couple of things. Plenty of cards and Jose Mourinho to be in and amongst it.
?// THREAD pic.twitter.com/tymJVwjyVP
— Andy’s Football Tips (@AndyRobsonTips) May 6, 2023
Substitutes
Raoul Bellanova – 6
During his 30 minutes on the pitch, Bellanova played a functional wing-back role, helping Inter see out the match.
Lautaro Martinez – 7
The striker’s introduction instantly energized his side, as he found Lukaku with a wicked through-ball to confirm the result.