Inter gave new Salernitana manager Fabio Liverani the worst possible debut, piecing together a dominant performance in a 4-0 victory at Giuseppe Meazza. Simone Inzaghi’s side tore the Serie A basement boys to pieces to set themselves up nicely for the upcoming Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid.
Though Inter only broke the deadlock in the 17th minute through Marcus Thuram, they could’ve been 3-0 up in the opening 15 minutes. But it didn’t take long before they doubled their lead as Lautaro Martinez struck home from the edge of the box moments after the Frenchman’s opener.
Denzel Dumfries put the game to bed in the 40th minute, latching onto a rebound inside the Salernitana six-yard box to give Inter a comfortable 3-0 cushion at halftime. Luckily for the visitors, Inzaghi’s side took their feet off the gas in the second half. Otherwise, it could’ve been a complete disaster.
Second-half substitute Marko Arnautovic made sure Inter would complete another Serie A double against the Salerno outfit via an identical 4-0 scoreline. Indeed, his 90th-minute strike equaled Nerazzurri’s win from the reverse fixture in which Martinez scored a second-half quadruple, momentarily firing them ten points off second-placed Juventus.
Without further ado, let’s look at our Inter ratings.
Inter (3-5-2)
Yann Sommer – 6
As the Inter backline did all the heavy lifting, the Swiss goalkeeper spent the night as a spectator without having to make a single save.
Stefan de Vrij – 7
Back at the heart of Inzaghi’s backline, the Dutchman had a field day against Salernitana’s uneventful frontline.
Benjamin Pavard – 7.5
The marquee summer signing was more like a right-back than a center-half, largely thanks to Inter’s dominance. Spent more time on the opposition’s half!
Alessandro Bastoni – 7.5
Like Pavard, the Italian defender was more involved in the build-up than he did his actual work, as Salernitana barely tested his defensive credentials.
Denzel Dumfries – 7.5
In addition to the goal, the Dutch wing-back made a nuisance of himself on the right flank, creating all sorts of problems for Liverani’s clueless rearguard.
Nicolo Barella – 7
Could’ve and should’ve scored or at least assisted Thuram in the early stages when they broke two-on-one versus Guillermo Ochoa but made amends for that mistake with an electrifying display.
Hakan Calhanoglu – 7
Pulled all the strings in the middle of the park with his impeccable passing and superb vision, helping Inter establish total control of the game from the get-go.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 6.5
Heavily involved in almost every Inter attack tonight before surrendering his place to Davy Klassen on the hour mark but struggled to make his effort count.
Carlos Augusto – 8
You won’t see a better wing-back performance than this! Slotted in for Federico Dimarco, the Monza loanee went from strength to strength on the left, setting the tone for Inter’s thumping win with two early assists.
Marcus Thuram – 7.5
Opened the scoring with a top-class finish and had a couple of decent chances to double his tally as he kept Salernitana’s defenders on their toes the entire night.
Lautaro Martinez – 7.5
Minutes after squandering a glorious opportunity to beat Ochoa, the Serie A leading goalscorer took his seasonal tally to 20 with a scintillating finish from mid-range.
Substitutes
Alexis Sanchez – 6
Marko Arnautovic – 7
Davy Klassen – 6
Kristjan Asllani – 6
Tajon Buchanan – 6.5
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