Inter survived a late drama in Udine to pick up a vital 2-1 win at Dacia Arena over a spirited Udinese side and maintain the pressure on Serie A pacesetters Milan. Milan’s 1-0 home triumph over Fiorentina earlier on Sunday meant a failed attempt to land all three points would put the Nerazzurri in a tough spot ahead of the last three matchdays.
Filled with confidence following a 4-0 thrashing of Fiorentina in midweek Serie A action, Udinese hoped to pull off another upset. However, Ivan Perisic made sure to fire Inter in front only 12 minutes into the match and set the tone for another successful weekend for the reigning champions.
Lautaro Martinez saw his spot-kick attempt thwarted by Udinese goalkeeper Marco Silvestri in the 39th minute, but the Argentine latched onto the rebound to put clear daylight between the sides. A comfortable 2-0 cushion at half-time eventually proved enough for Inter to return to winning ways following the midweek shock against Bologna.
But Ignacio Pussetto restored late drama at Dacia Arena. The Argentine forward turned home an assist from Destiny Udogie in the 72nd minute, giving Udinese a glimmer of hope that they could avoid a home defeat for Inter for the second season in a row.
Unfortunately for Gabriele Cioffi and his men, Pussetto’s strike was nothing more than a consolation goal as Inter covered ground on Milan. With just two points separating the sides ahead of the final three matches of the campaign, Simone Inzaghi urged his side to carry this form into the season finale.
“Inter wanted to win, deserved the victory in a very difficult situation. I want to thank the fans again as they made us feel as if we were almost at San Siro,” he told DAZN, as relayed by TUTTOmercatoWEB.
“I don’t think it makes much difference who plays first, as we are accustomed to it. We know since the television rights took charge of the fixture lists that these things happen, it’s not unusual now. I was concentrated on Udinese and not what Milan did.
“There are nine points still up for grabs and anything is possible.“