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Inter Milan climbed to the top of Serie A with a commanding 4-0 victory over in-form Como at the San Siro on Saturday, delivering a statement performance just days before hosting Liverpool in the Champions League.
The Milan giants took control through their prolific forward pairing, with Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram finding the net in both halves before late strikes from Hakan Calhanoglu and Carlos Augusto turned the win into a rout.
The result moved Inter two points clear of both AC Milan and Napoli, who still have fixtures to play this weekend, with Napoli welcoming Juventus on Sunday and Milan travelling to Torino on Monday.
Martinez hailed the performance as a powerful response against stiff opposition, praising his side’s hunger and intensity.
He said Inter had shown their quality and determination to gather as many points as possible as the title race begins to gather pace.
The league leaders will now turn their attention to Tuesday’s Champions League showdown with Liverpool, a fixture that could prove decisive in the club’s quest for automatic qualification for the round of 16.
Head coach Cristian Chivu was particularly encouraged by the display of Luis Henrique at right wing-back, a position that has lacked stability since Denzel Dumfries suffered an ankle injury.
Henrique played a central role in the opening goal, powering into the box from deep before delivering a precise pass for Martinez to tuck away his seventh league goal of the season inside 11 minutes.
The visitors had glimpses of promise after the interval and twice went close through Tasos Douvikas and Alex Valle before Inter doubled their advantage.
Thuram, returning from a hamstring setback, struck in the 59th minute, reacting quickest from close range after Federico Dimarco’s corner unsettled the Como defence.
Calhanoglu then rifled home his seventh goal of the campaign late on, before Carlos Augusto capped a polished display with a fine volley to make it four.
The defeat was Como’s first since August and saw them slip to sixth, now trailing Inter by six points.
Despite the scoreline, coach Cesc Fabregas insisted the gap between the sides was not as wide as the result suggested, adding that heavy defeats often provide the most valuable lessons.
Elsewhere, Fiorentina’s miserable season continued with a damaging 3-1 loss at newly promoted Sassuolo, a result that left the club marooned at the bottom of the table with no league wins to their name.
Once a side boasting legends such as Gabriel Batistuta and Rui Costa and fresh from a sixth-place finish last season, Fiorentina now find themselves in deep trouble with just six points from 14 matches.
The visitors briefly looked on course for relief when Rolando Mandragora converted an early penalty, but that advantage vanished within minutes after Cristian Volpato’s deflected effort brought Sassuolo level.
Tarik Muharemovic then headed the hosts into the lead just before the break, and Ismael Kone sealed the points midway through the second half.
Tempers flared late on when Volpato had a spectacular goal ruled out for an alleged foul, a decision that enraged Sassuolo coach Fabio Grosso and resulted in his dismissal.
Fiorentina manager Paolo Vanoli, appointed just a month ago, cut a frustrated figure on the touchline as his struggling team remained six points adrift of safety.
Atalanta’s strong start under Raffaele Palladino also faltered as they were beaten 3-1 by Verona, who recorded their first league win of the season in the night’s final fixture.
