🇮🇹 Inter thrash Monza to widen Serie A title race margin | OneFootball

Inter widened the gap in Serie A’s title race following a comprehensive win over Monza on Saturday.

Scorers: Pessina (PEN) 69′; Çalhanoğlu (PEN) 12′, 60′, Martínez 14′, 84′, Thuram 88′

Hakan Çalhanoğlu handed the visitors an early first-half lead from the penalty spot after Roberto Gagliardini handled the ball in the area.

It was not long before the Nerazzurri went further ahead  at the U-Power Stadium as Lautaro Martínez slid home from Federico Dimarco’s pinpoint cross.

Monza believed to have halved their deficit when Matteo Pessina struck a reducer just a quarter of an hour later, only for VAR to be disallow the effort for offside.

Çalhanoğlu compounded their misery on the hour mark by sweeping home from a breakaway from which he wrongfooted Alessandro Sorrentino for a second time.

The hosts were later handed a potential lifeline through Matteo Darmian’s clumsy challenge on Dany Mota which allowed Matteo Pessina to roll home from the spot.

But another late penalty for Inter, this time after Akpa Akpro brought down second-half substitute Davide Frattesi, saw Martínez join Çalhanoğlu in doubling his tally.

Marcus Thuram added a fifth in the closing stages with a coolly-taken individual effort to inflict Monzo’s heaviest defeat in their Italian top-flight history.

Simeone Inzaghi’s side now sit five points clear at the summit with a game over Juventus, who host Sassuolo on Tuesday.