Inter completed another comeback with late goals from Marcus Thuram and Piotr Zielinski cancelling out Alex Jimenez’s Fiorentina opener.
The Nerazzurri got to the game without the injured John Stones, Curtis Jones, Lautaro Martinez, Benjamin Pavard and Luis Henrique, while Fiorentina travelled to Milan without Fabiano Parisi, Arthur Atta and Luca Ranieri.
See how it unfolded on the live blog.
Francesco Pio Esposito returned to the XI, joining Marcus Thuram, while Ivan Provedel made his Nerazzurri debut between the sticks.
Fiorentina looked to Franco Mastantuono, Alieu Njie and Franco Mastantuono in attack.
Inter dominated possession, and although intensity wasn’t too high, the Nerazzurri created three big chances in the final ten minutes of the first half.
De Gea made his first major save, keeping out Thuram’s close-range effort from a tight angle. Just a minute later, he dived to his right to push away Francesco Pio Esposito’s header, then denied Thuram again as the Frenchman attempted to find the far corner with a powerful shot.
The game’s intensity didn’t increase much in the second half, but Inter still dominated possession and had the best chances.
De Gea made another brilliant save on Thuram, but this time he didn’t need to dive; he only raised his arms to deflect a powerful shot from inside the box.
Fiorentina took the lead out of nowhere in the 64th minute through a goal-of-the-season contender from former Milan defender Alex Jimenez. His stunning strike from distance caught Provedel and the Inter defence off guard, with the Nerazzurri expecting a cross rather than a shot from a wide position.
Inter then pushed even harder. Thuram demanded a penalty after a clumsy Viery tackle inside the box; Carlos Augusto hit the upper part of the crossbar twice within two minutes, but Provedel saved Gnonto’s curler at the top corner, denying a second goal to Fiorentina.
Ultimately, the Nerazzurri equalised with another Thuram attempt. This time, the Frenchman linked up with Andy Diouf at the edge of the box, then finished clinically with the ball slowly crossing the line.
Inter had time to win it, and they did so thanks to a late penalty kick Thuram earned. Victor Valdepenas pulled the France international’s shirt and brought him down, and the referee didn’t even need a VAR check to award a spot kick, which Zielinski converted.
The victory means the Nerazzurri have caught Lazio at the top of the table with 22 points, while Fiorentina remain in the drop zone with just four.
Inter 2-1 Fiorentina
Jimenez 65 (F), Thuram 91 (I), Zielinski pen 97 (I)
Player statistic
| 65′ | Álex Jiménez
(Assist: Nicolò Fagioli)
|
|||
| 70′ |  |
Viery | ||
| Marcus Thuram
(Assist: Andy Diouf)
|
 |
90+1′ | ||
| Piotr Zielinski |  |
90+8′ |
Inter
Fiorentina
Starting lineups
Substitutes
