Inter coach Cristian Chivu had no sympathy for Juventus defender Pierre Kalulu after he was sent off in Saturday's Derby d'Italia, telling him: "Keep your hands to yourself."

The Nerazzurri strengthened their grip on top spot in Serie A by edging a five-goal thriller at San Siro, with Piotr Zielinski scoring in the 90th minute to seal a vital 3-2 win.

That victory stretched their lead over title rivals AC Milan to eight points, though there was a hint of controversy about the result after Juventus had to play the entire second half with 10 men.

Having already been booked, Kalulu was given his marching orders for a 42nd-minute pull on Alessandro Bastoni, who went down theatrically. 

After the game, Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti refused to speak to the media and club director Giorgio Chiellini said officiating chief Gianluca Rocchi should resign over the decision, made by referee Federico La Penna.

But speaking to Sky Sport Italia, Chivu suggested Kalulu had been naive, saying: "It is a light touch, but it's still a touch.

"When I dealt with similar situations in the Champions League, I told my players not to put themselves in a situation where they force the referee to make the decision.

"Even if it's light – and we have to admit it is a light touch – my player still felt the touch and was running at full speed. 

"Kalulu is an experienced player and he ought to know that in these situations, you keep your hands to yourself.

"If I am on a yellow card, I would not put my hands on an opponent, especially on a counter-attack, when the opponent is anticipating that."

Chivu hopes Saturday's victory, in which Francesco Pio Esposito was also on target after Juve youngster Andrea Cambiaso scored at both ends in the first half, can have a transformative impact on Inter's mentality.

Before the game, the Nerazzurri had only taken one point from head-to-head matches against the rest of Serie A's top four (Milan, Napoli and Juventus) this season – the fewest of all those teams.

"We wanted to focus on the performances more than the results this season. But as you've been reminding me constantly, Inter had not beaten a big club in Serie A for two years, so the lads felt that pressure," Chivu said. 

"With heart and character, we did what we needed to in order to take the victory. I loved this determination and desire to always damage a team that has been causing problems for every opponent since Luciano Spalletti arrived. They are an impressive team.

"I hope that tonight's game is the turning point for the mental and even physical block that this team had."