Perisic's strike in vain as Milan claim victory

MILAN - Inter fell to defeat for only the second time this season in a game in which they can feel aggrieved for not having picked up the full three points.

The Nerazzurri were all over the visitors and until 15 minutes from the end the only black mark on their performance was not having increased the lead. Perisic hit his 50th goal for the club in the first half, slotting home from another wonderful Hakan Calhanoglu corner, while Denzel Dumfries saw his header ruled out for offside.

Fortune smiled upon Milan as Brahim Diaz's effort somehow made its way to Olivier Giroud for the Frenchman to tap home, and four minutes later the Rossoneri striker was able to double his side's advantage.

Milan are now just a point behind their city rivals yet Simone Inzaghi's men have a game in hand.

It’s always hard to manage emotions ahead of derby day; your head is full of anxiety, expectations, and endless speculation. This was amplified by the fact that Inter fans had to wait especially long for this fixture given that between the last match and the Milan clash the international break took place. As a result, anticipation levels were at fever pitch by the time the 176th Milan derby in Serie A rolled around at 18:00 on Saturday, a fixture which saw second take on first in the league.

Simone Inzaghi named his strongest 11 whereas Stefano Pioli had to contend with the absences of Ante Rebic and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Fikayo Tomori was only deemed fit enough for the bench.

Nerves reigned right from the get-go, with plenty of 50-50s, tough challenges, and with space to create at a premium. Yet Inter were able to find their gear through the marauding runs of Denzel Dumfries and Ivan Perisic down the flanks. It was through the Croat’s magic that the Nerazzurri thought they had taken the lead; a cross played was sumptuously headed in by Dumfries but the strike was ruled out for offside.

The Rossoneri saw themselves camped out in their own with sticksman Mike Maignan working overtime, impressing especially with his reflexes to keep out Marcelo Brozovic’s deflected effort and blocking Dumfries in a one-on one. Nicolo Barella’s attempt had the Frenchman beaten, however, and Milan’s keeper was saved by the post. 

Inter were their usual relentless selves while Milan’s only sight at goal was a long-range effort from Sandro Tonali which Samir Handanovic dealt with well. The Nerazzurri fans in the stands felt it was only a matter of time before the deadlock was broken, as even after half an hour it felt like 0-0 was an unfair scoreline.

The breakthrough finally came shortly before half-time when yet another Hakan Calhanoglu corner saw a teammate find the net, this time Ivan Perisic. San Siro erupted in delight at the Croat’s effort and the hosts were unlucky not to have doubled their lead before the break. Inter had Milan on the ropes and the situation seemed untenable for the Rossoneri.

However, Inter were left to regret not having sealed the match when presented with the chance to do so. Following the half time interval the pace of the game slowed down, and while the Nerazzurri’s dominance continued they found chances hard to come by.

As for Milan, coach Pioli saw that Rafael Leao was getting no joy in attack and opted to bring on Diaz for some creative influence. The Spaniard soon got into the game and managed to unsettle Inter’s defence with his attacking play, and it was his deflected shot which lead to Milan’s opener through Giroud. It wasn’t long before the Frenchman got his second of the match and what proved to be the game’s decisive goal, spinning away from Stefan de Vrij in the box to fire past Handanovic into the corner.

Inter were left shellshocked and the game tailed out with no further good chances for either side. Despite five minutes of injury time and the boost given from Theo Hernandez’s sending off after he rashly hacked down Dumfries, the Nerazzurri were unable to muster a reaction. Inzaghi’s men go away from San Siro pointless with the bitter taste of knowing victory was within their grasp.

Inter 1-2 Milan (HT 1-0)

Scorers: 38 Perisic (I), 75 and 79 Giroud (M)

INTER (3-5-2): 1 Handanovic; 37 Skriniar, 6 De Vrij, 95 Bastoni (36 Darmian 82); 2 Dumfries, 23 Barella, 77 Brozovic (8 Vecino 82), 20 Calhanoglu (22 Vidal 73), 14 Perisic (32 Dimarco 70); 9 Dzeko, 10 Lautaro (7 Sanchez 70).Unused substitutes: 21 Cordaz, 97 Radu, 5 Gagliardini, 11 Kolarov, 13 Ranocchia, 33 D'Ambrosio, 41 Curatolo.Coach: Simone Inzaghi.

MILAN (4-2-3-1): 16 Maignan; 2 Calabria, 20 Kalulu, 13 Romagnoli, 19 Hernandez; 8 Tonali, 4 Bennacer (33 Krunic 80); 56 Saelemaekers (30 Messias 46), 79 Kessie (10 Diaz 58), 17 Leao; 9 Giroud.Unused substitutes: 1 Tatarusanu, 83 Mirante, 7 Castilejo, 22 Lazetic, 23 Tomori, 25 Florenzi, 27 Maldini, 41 Bakayoko, 46 Gabbia.Coach: Stefano Pioli.

Booked: Romagnoli (M), Calhanoglu (I), Diaz (M), Skriniar (I), Krunic (M)Sent off: Hernandez (M) Time added on: 2, 5.

Referee: Guida.Assistants: Carbone, Peretti.Fourth official: Marchetti.VAR: Mazzoleni, Ranghetti.