The local rivalry was one that was sparked not by the usual derby day delight, but instead by a world champion standing tall to make his moment count.
Watching AC Milan start Divock Origi and Olivier Giroud up top together raised the expectations, but once the game got underway you wondered whether they had really won the Scudetto last season.
Inter outplayed the champions. Ciprian Tatarusanu was more than just tested in the Milan goal, keeping out the constant early traffic produced by the men in black and blue.
Ten minutes before the break, just when things looked to have calmed down, the deadlock was broken. With Lautaro Martinez heading in from a Hakan Calhanoglu corner. It was 1-0, but it could have been more, with Milan’s decision to play three at the back clearly cost them.
In the second period, Stefano Pioli reverted to a back four and also switched things up at the top of the pitch.
Origi, who had become so famous for his derby day heroics at former club Liverpool, looked a shadow of his former self. But then again, so did the rest of the Milan attackers.
Inter continued to dominate the ball, finishing with 65% of the possession and beating their rivals 15-4 on shots taken. Milan failed to register even a single attempt on target throughout the game.
The closing stages may have seen a Martinez double, but for the offside flag, and it ended 1-0 with Inter still second on the table after the win.
For Milan, it goes from bad to worse. After the 5-2 defeat at home to Sassuolo last week, this is their fourth consecutive loss in the league. And the result leaves them in sixth place and desperately hoping for a quick change in form.
Pictured above: Lautaro Martínez
Image source: @siavoushf
