Internazionale returned to the top of Serie A with a 2-0 home victory over ten-man Juventus.
In a tempestuous first half, Mohamed Sissoko was shown a second yellow card and given his marching orders for a senseless lunge on Javier Zanetti, though despite controlling the game, it was not until the second half that Inter genuinely stretched the Juve defence.
As Samuel Eto’o and Diego Milito both spurned golden opportunities, it seemed the Old Lady might hang on for an unlikely draw until Douglas Maicon produced a superb strike with 15 minutes left to alleviate the building frustration around the San Siro. Eto’o made the points safe as he tapped home Mario Balotelli’s cross in stoppage time.
Jose Mourinho’s side now move two points clear of Roma at the top of Serie A, while Juventus’s hopes of clinching the final Champions League spot are hanging by a thread.
“It’s a very important, hard-fought victory,” said Inter captain Zanetti. “Now we’ll see what Roma do on Sunday. On Tuesday we’ll face the best team in the world at the moment for their consistency and the players they have. Let’s hope we have a good night.”