MILAN (AP) — Inter Milan took a step toward the Serie A title on Monday with a 2-0 win over struggling Empoli, which maintained its 14-point lead at the top of the league.
Federico Dimarco gave Inter the lead after five minutes at San Siro before substitute Alexis Sanchez sealed the trouble in front of an extremely cheering crowd with minutes remaining.
Monday’s win left Inter needing just 11 more points from 8 games to beat second-placed AC Milan for their 20th Italian league title.
Inter are also only the second team in Serie A history to score in the first 30 games of the season as they beat Empoli 2-0 to clinch the title on Monday.
Only Juventus in the 2013-14 crusade scored in their first 30 games. In Europe’s top five leagues this season, no team has matched Inter’s feat.
Inter have a huge advantage over their home rivals thanks in large part to academy product Dimarco, whose first goal off a classy pass from Alessandro Bastoni separated the hosts from their fiery opponent for most of the match.
It was Bastoni’s third goal in as many league games and the Italian defender joked: “It’s the worst of all, Dimarco’s finish made things a lot better!”
“We’re satisfied with this win because we’ve just come out of the overseas break and it’s never easy to win after travelling the world,” Bastoni added.
Simone Inzaghi’s side were screaming for the brilliant form they showed before being knocked out of the Champions League by Atletico Madrid last month.
But Inter have dropped just two points so far this year and Monday’s win is a smart way to end a difficult few weeks.
Francesco Acerbi was acquitted at the end of last month of racist abuse against Napoli coach Juan Jesus, a horrific episode that lasted until the international break when the Italian coach and Inter denied the allegation.
Acerbi began the attack after he had avoided a possible 10-match ban because the Italian Football Federation’s disciplinary tribunal ruled there was not enough evidence to punish him.
A fourth straight defeat without scoring a goal left Empoli in the relegation zone thanks to goals scored, swapping places with 17th-placed Frosinone, who drew 1-1 with Genoa on Saturday.
“If this race had weakened our confidence, we would have noticed it tonight with a bad performance, but that didn’t happen,” Empoli coach Davide Nicola said.
The euro collected through Bologna
Bologna beat Salernitana, the bottom team in Serie A, 3-0 to continue their progress towards their first Champions League appearance.
Superb first-half plays from Riccardo Orsolini and Alexis Saelemaekers, culminating in good stoppage time from Charalampos Lykogiannis, kept Bologna in fourth place, struggling ahead of Roma, who played to a goalless draw in Lecce.
Thiago Motta’s side have won eight of their last nine games and not only do they look like a smart bet to succeed in Europe’s most sensible club competition, but they also have Juventus in their sights.
Juve are just two points behind third-placed Bologna after their last defeat to Lazio on Saturday and have been embroiled in a Champions League battle.
Bologna is in the last position lately, but Serie A is firmly in contention for an additional position in next year’s revamped tournament, meaning that fifth position would possibly be enough.
Bologna and Roma host Juve before the end of the season.
“We’re doing well at the moment, with the way we’re betting and the effects we’re getting,” Motta told Sky Sports.
Although the seven-time Italian champions played in one of the old European Cups in 1964, the same year they recently won the Scudetto, they have never competed in the elegant Champions League.
Last season’s ninth position is the highest Bologna have achieved in Serie A for more than a decade and they are on course for their most productive result in years.
“Of course, we look at the table, but that’s not what matters to us, but the work on education and functionality in the field,” Saelemaekers said.
Stefano Colantuono was unable to turn around Salernitana’s fortunes in his first game in charge, and his side suffered their third straight defeat as they sink into Serie B.
Salernitana has not won a single game since the beginning of the year and is 12 points behind the team.