Inter scores three second-half goals to go top
Inter Milan earned its eighth league win of the season with three second-half goals to beat Torino 3-0 and move to the top of Serie A.
Although Inter had a couple of chances in the first half, goalkeeper Yann Sommer kept it in the game when the hosts came on the attack, making a great save from Demba Seck’s effort.
Despite positive chances, Torino fell behind after the break when Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez scored within eight minutes of each other and Hakan Calhanoglu netted from the penalty spot in the final minutes to wrap the game up.
Three points sends Inter to the top of the Serie A table, one point above rival AC Milan, which takes on Juventus on Monday (AEDT).
After a solid start Inter had a chance in the 18th minute when Thuram cut into the box but Vanja Milinkovic-Savic was able to make the save.
Calhanoglu then had another chance for the visitors but his free-kick just flew wide of a post.
Torino then grew into the game and had chances of its own when Samuele Ricci tested Sommer, but arguably its best chance of the half came in the 34th minute when Seck hit a great curling shot, forcing the Inter goalkeeper to make a great save and palm away the danger.
The hosts threatened again just before half-time when a looping cross picked out Pietro Pellegri at the back post and Sommer reacted quickly with a low dive.
Ricci had another chance straight after the break after smashing the ball from outside of the box but his effort flew just over the bar.
Torino was then forced into an early substitution minutes later when Perr Schuurs was taken off the pitch on a stretcher.
A well-worked move from Inter saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan burst down the left and whip the ball into the box, but Thuram was unable to get a foot on it.
The visitors eventually found the breakthrough in the 59th minute when Denzel Dumfries’s low cross found an unmarked Thuram on the edge of the area and the forward made no mistake to hit the ball first time into the bottom corner.
They doubled their lead in the 67th minute from a corner when Francesco Acerbi flicked the ball behind him, allowing Martinez to nod home.
Thuram nearly earned a second but was denied after a great block from Saba Sazonov, who managed to stick a leg out to deflect the ball away.
Torino pushed forward in the final 10 minutes and a dangerous free-kick in stoppage-time saw Sommer unable to reach the ball, which smashed off Sazonov’s shoulder to go wide.
Inter capped off the evening after being awarded a penalty and Calhanoglu fired the ball into the bottom corner with just more than a minute left in the game.
