Inter Milan moved level on points with rivals AC Milan atop Serie A table on Sunday after their 2-0 win over Juventus. Antonio Conte's men took the lead after just 12 minutes at Giuseppe Meazza when Arturo Vidal headed home from Nicolo Barella. Barella himself scored Inter's second seven minutes into the second half with an emphatic finish after he was teed up by Alessandro Bastoni.
The hosts are now seven points clear of Juve while Andrea Pirlo's side have just one game in hand meaning that there will be at least a four-point difference if the Bianconeri can beat SSC Napoli in their rearranged clash.
Some takeaways from Sunday.
Brilliant Barella
The star man for Inter was Barella, who scored one and provided the other in an important win for the Nerazzurri that might have knocked Juve out of the title race. At just 23, the Italy international is an emerging star and this performance with two decisive contributions will only add to his burgeoning reputation. Barella was not alone in performing well for Inter but his overall display did merit the recognition that his goal and assist will now bring.
2+5 - #Barella has already improved both in terms of goals (2 vs 1) and assists (5 vs 4) the score collected for Inter in the last Serie A campaign. Electric.#InterJuve
— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) January 17, 2021
Pirlo pressure
Juve may well now be out of the Serie A title reckoning with a seven-point deficit to make up on league leaders AC and Inter Milan but only one game in hand. The Old Lady's chances will be clearer once they have faced Napoli in their rearranged fixture from earlier in the season, but it already looks bleak in terms of a successful title defense. Pirlo once again failed to impose any clear tactical plan and the Turin giants paid the price with a potentially costly defeat.
1 - Arturo #Vidal has scored his first league goal for Inter: this is his first goal in Serie A since 02/05/2015 vs Sampdoria (for Juventus in that case), 2087 days ago. Ex.#InterJuve
— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) January 17, 2021
Incisive Inter
While Pirlo's Juve setup was unimpressive, Conte showed his cunning with an Inter side that was designed to prey on their vulnerable opponents. Not only did the home side take their chances when they came, they were also tight at the back to keep a first clean sheet against Juve since 2010. Vidal also rose to the occasion and came back to haunt his former employers with the opening goal as part of a throwback performance.
2 - Alessandro #Bastoni is the youngest central defender to have collected at least 2 assists in the top-5 European Leagues 2020/21. Valuable.#InterJuve pic.twitter.com/w12LWxMYbg
— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) January 17, 2021
Milan's moment
This result creates an opportunity for AC Milan to undo some of the damage done by Juve's recent win at San Siro when they visit Cagliari on Monday. The leaders can re-establish a three-point lead over Inter but stretch their advantage over Pirlo's men to 10 points -- a likely unassailable gap. With AS Roma and Napoli coming up, any further dropped points could prove critical -- even if the damage is probably already done.
This team. 🖤💙 https://t.co/zGVozcApl2
— Inter (@Inter_en) January 17, 2021
Buried Bianconeri?
Juve continue to stumble domestically this season and it is now the first time since 2010-11 that they have fewer than 10 wins from their opening 17 matches. Their opening three Serie A results of 2021 made it look as if a corner had been turned but that has turned out to be a false dawn with this defeat. AC and Inter hold significant advantages in the title race and Napoli are ahead of them by a point with their replay to come -- it might already be too late.
