Serie A: Inter Milan claim top spot as Napoli suffer costly defeat

Inter Milan moved to the top of the Italian Serie A table after beating Genoa 2–1 on Sunday. Their rise was helped by mistakes from their closest rivals.

Earlier in the day, AC Milan drew 2–2 with Sassuolo, while defending champions Napoli lost 1–0 away to Udinese. These results gave Inter the chance to take first place, and they did not miss it.

Inter scored one goal in each half. German defender Yann Bisseck opened the scoring, and captain Lautaro Martinez added the second. Genoa pulled one back in the 68th minute through Portuguese forward Vitinha, which made the ending tense, but Inter held on for the win.

With the victory, Inter now lead the table by one point ahead of AC Milan. Napoli are just one point behind Inter in third place.

Napoli missed a big chance to go top of the league. They had two goals ruled out and saw their three-game winning run end. Udinese won the match thanks to a goal from Jurgen Ekkelenkamp in the 73rd minute. Napoli, who are dealing with several injuries, will feel disappointed by the result.

In Milan, Sassuolo took an early lead before AC Milan responded. Davide Bartesaghi equalised just before half-time and later scored his second goal after the break. However, Sassuolo’s Armand Lauriente scored late in the game to earn his team a draw.

AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri said his team played well and believes the point could be important. He admitted the team needs to improve defensively but said staying in the top four remains their main goal this season.

Inter Milan, AC Milan, Napoli and Bologna will not play league matches next weekend because they will be competing in the Italian Super Cup.