Acerbi and Thuram fire Inter to derby win over Milan and Serie A title
Having registered an emphatic 5-1 victory in September’s reverse fixture, Inter looked determined to assert a similar level of control over Stefano Pioli’s men during the opening stages. The Nerazzurri came flying out the blocks, and their early pressure was duly rewarded with a breakthrough in the 18th minute.
Federico Dimarco’s out-swinging corner was flicked on by Benjamin Pavard at the front post, with the ball falling perfectly into the path of an unmarked Acerbi who headed home from inside the six-yard box.
Inter continued to look the more threatening of the two sides as the first half progressed, with Lautaro Martinez spurning a glorious opportunity from close range, while at the other end, Yann Sommer had to be alert to thwart Rafael Leao’s low effort.
The open nature of the contest showed no signs of slowing down before half-time as Thuram fired wastefully wide for Inzaghi’s side and Davide Calabria saw a sharp strike parried away by Sommer.
The early stages of the second half followed a similar pattern to the first, and Inter doubled their lead within four minutes of the restart.
Thuram showed impressive speed and strength to power past Fikayo Tomori, and the Nerazzurri frontman unleashed a clinical strike into the bottom corner from range for his 12th league goal of the campaign.
That piece of individual brilliance looked to have ended Milan’s hopes of ruining Inter’s big night, as Inzaghi’s men cruised through large spells of the second period relatively untroubled.
With 10 minutes remaining, however, Tomori pulled a goal back for the hosts with a simple close-range header after Christian Pulisic’s initial effort had been tipped onto the post by Sommer.
That sparked Milan into life late on, but it ultimately proved nothing more than a consolation, with the contest marred by stoppage-time fighting that saw Theo Hernandez, Denzel Dumfries and Calabria all dismissed.
Inter, however, held their nerve to seal a 20th Serie A title and extend their unbeaten league run to 27 matches.
As for Pioli’s men, they’ll be desperate to bounce back against Juventus on Saturday after suffering a sixth consecutive defeat in the Milan derby.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Benjamin Pavard (Inter Milan)
