Inzaghi lauds ´perfect´ Inter display in derby win over struggling Milan

Simone Inzaghi felt Inter were “perfect” as they beat struggling Milan 1-0 in the most dominant derby display he can remember.

Captain Lautaro Martinez’s first-half header inflicted a fourth successive defeat on the Rossoneri at San Siro on Sunday.

Milan failed to register a shot on target and are down in sixth place in Serie A after their miserable winless run was extended to seven games.

The Nerazzurri, on the other hand, are second behind runaway leaders Napoli following a third win in a row after also seeing off their city rivals 3-0 in Supercoppa Italiana last month.

While Napoli look like they could be out of sight with a 13-point advantage at the summit, Inter head coach Inzaghi believes a commanding derby display shows they continue to make strides.

He said: “I’m very satisfied, I complimented the team because they were perfect, I don’t remember a derby won and dominated in this way.

“We had a great derby, winning two in I think 20 days don’t always happen. We don’t look forward or backward in the standings, but only at us.”

9 – In the first half Inter made nine more shots than Milan (nine vs zero), a record in the first half of a match between these two sides since 2004/05 (since the data is available). Supremacy. #InterMilan

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) February 5, 2023

Under-pressure Milan boss Stefano Pioli went with a more defensive line-up in a bid to arrest the champions’ slide, but Inzaghi’s focus was on how his side approached the game.

He added: “There’s been talk about it for days [Pioli’s tactics]. I have to be honest that I was worried about mine, regardless of how Milan played.

“Every Sunday we meet three or four [man] defences. Tonight in the first half we bordered on perfection. In the second we did very well and conceded the first shot in the 75th minute. It’s a great satisfaction.”

Another big plus for Inzaghi was a substitute appearance for Marcelo Brozovic, the first time he has featured for Inter since November.