Inter Milan 3-1 Udinese – Romelu Lukaku, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Lautaro Martinez score as hosts win Serie A clash

Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s side-foot volley helped Inter Milan a 3-1 victory over Udinese at the San Siro to strengthen their chances of finishing second in Serie A.

Fifteen minutes into the match, Romelu Lukaku squared it to Edin Dzeko, but the ball was cleared by Rodrigo Becao. Denzel Dumfries attempted to hit the follow-up, but was slide tackled by Walace.

The referee initially signalled to play on, but after consulting with the VAR team, and the pitchside monitor a penalty was awarded. Lukaku’s first attempt was saved by Marco Silvestri, but Masina was well in the box before the ball was kicked, and the penalty was retaken.

The Belgian striker didn’t make the same mistake twice, and shot his second chance right into the bottom corner to give his side the lead.

Right on the brink of half-time, Lukaku’s pass was intercepted by Kingsley Ehizibue, who quickly countered and laid it off to a central Roberto Pereyra. The captain switched it onto the left for Sandi Lovric, and the midfielder opted for a powerful shot that sped past Samir Handanovic and into the back of the net.

Inter continued to create half-chances in the second half, and eventually found their winner in the 73rd minute. Federico Dimarco put a low cross into the edge of the box, and Mkhitaryan fired a volley straight past Silvestri.

In the 89th minute, Inter scored their third after Danilo D’Ambrosio’s ball over the top found Lautaro Martinez, who held off Jaka Bijol before slotting home a cool finish to wrap up the win.

Up next, Inter will turn to the Champions League to take on Porto in the first leg of their last 16 draw, while Udinese will host Spezia in the league.

TALKING POINT: INTER GET THE JOB DONE

It’s a deserved win for Inter. For large spells of the game, they were missing that final ball, but even when they weren’t at their best going forward, they did well to keep Udinese at bay, with the visitors never really coming close to scoring apart from their goal.

The win keeps Inter in second, with 47 points from 23 matches. It will take a miracle to catch up to league leaders Napoli, who sit at the summit of Serie A with 62 points, but Inter will be happy that they’ve put a three point distance between themselves and AC Milan. The fight for top four is still tight, and it’s important that Simone Inzaghi’s side keep picking up wins, especially at home, so they don’t get dragged into a late season scrap for a Champions League spot.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH: HENRIKH MKHITARYAN

Mkhitaryan rolled back the years with his performance as the heart of Inter’s midfield. His goal, of course, was the one that got the hosts back in front, but his overall performance, regardless of his name being on the scoresheet, deserves praise. He successfully managed to protect Inter’s back line while also helping to dictate play while on the ball. He covered a lot of ground on the left-side of the pitch, and ended the match with two key passes, one big chance created, one clearance, and five tackles.

PLAYER RATINGS

INTER: Samir Handanovic 6, Alessandro Bastoni 7, Francesco Acerbi 6, Matteo Darmian 6, Federico Dimarco 7, Henrikh Mkhitaryan 8, Marcelo Brozovic 6, Nicolo Barella 8, Denzel Dumfries 7, Romelu Lukaku 6, Edin Dzeko 6.

SUBS: Danilo D’Ambrosio 7, Lautaro Martinez 7. Hakan Calhanoglu 6, Robin Gosens 7, Roberto Gagliardini 6.

UDINESE: Marco Silvestri 7, Enzo Ebosse 6, Jaka Bijol 6, Rodrigo Becao 6, Destiny Udogie 6, Sandi Lovric 7, Walace 5, Roberto Pereyra 6, Kingsley Ehizibue 6, Beto 6, Florian Thauvin 6.

SUBS: Adam Masina 5, Isaac Success 6, Tolgay Arslan 6, Lazar Samardzic 6, Festy Ebosele 6.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

15′ – INTER CHANCE: WHAT JUST HAPPENED? Lukaku put it on a plate for Dzeko, but he was clattered by an Udinese’s Becao before he could shoot. Dumfries tried to then hit the follow up, but he was tackled down by Walace. The referee waves on, but he’s been called to the VAR screen to take a second look at that foul on Dumfries…

17′ – IT IS A PENALTY: It was never in doubt really. Dumfries is fouled HARD in the box by Walace and the ref points to the spot. Up steps Lukaku…

19′ – LUKAKU’S PENALY IS SAVED! A chance to go up early in the first half is denied as Silvestri. But wait… it looks like Masina was in the box before Lukaku took the pen. We’re getting a retake.

20′ – GOAL! INTER 1-0 UDINESE: LUKAKU SCORES THE PENALTY AND IT’S PERFECTLY PLACED RIGHT INTO THE BOTTOM CORNER. That was an eventful few minutes!

43′ – GOAL! INTER 1-1 UDINESE: WHAT A SHOT THAT IS! LOVRIC PUTS THE VISITORS LEVEL BEFORE HALF-TIME It’s a counter-attack and Pereyra slips in Lovric on the left. He has options to cross it in, but he goes for the shot, and the bullet drills past Handanovic and into the net.

73′ – GOAL! INTER 2-1 UDINESE: MKHITARYAN PUTS INTER AHEAD! It’s a fantastic finish. Dimarco lays it off from the right, and Mkhitaryan shoots it first time to score his second league goal of the season.

89′ – GOAL! INTER 3-0 UDINESE: MOMENTS AFTER MISSING AN EASY CHANCE FOR A GOAL MARTINEZ MAKES IT THREE FOR INTER! His first chance was a lob that went well over the bar, but this time, he manages to keep Bijol at bay, and smash the ball right into the roof of the net!

KEY STATS

• Prior to Lukaku, the last player to have scored each of his first 13 penalties taken in Serie A was Paulo Dybala, from 2014-2017.
• Pereyra has assisted 6 goals this season (1 in this match). No Udinese player has more in Serie A.