Inter v Cagliari Notes And Thoughts
Inter were held to a third consecutive 1-1 draw, as after Ashley Young assisted on his debut, Radja Nainggolan snatched a Cagliari equaliser and Lautaro Martinez was sent off for dissent.
Click here for the full match report.
What does it mean? Inter lose further ground
Inter have now drawn their three most recent league games and five of their past seven, opening the door for Juventus to take control of the Scudetto race.
The Nerazzurri are struggling to see games through and could find themselves six points adrift of Juventus if the reigning champions beat Napoli later on Sunday.
Young slots right in
Young joined Inter from Manchester United in a reported £1.5million deal last week and Conte wasted no time bringing him into the side for the suspended Antonio Candreva.
The converted wing-back failed to register an assist in 12 league games for United this term, but it took him just 29 minutes to set up Lautaro with an impressive right-wing cross.
Sensi left sweating
Inter CEO Giuseppe Marotta said ahead of the game he is “optimistic” Christian Eriksen will arrive from Tottenham next week, which could be bad news for Sensi.
He is the midfielder most at risk of dropping out and had a mixed game on Sunday, failing to make the most of his opportunities when getting into some promising positions.
Key Opta Facts
- Martínez has scored the first goal of the match in seven different games in the current Serie A campaign, a joint-record alongside Ciro Immobile.
- Martínez and Robert Lewandowski are the two players to have netted the most goals in the first 30 minutes of matches in the current season across the top five European leagues (both eight).
- Twelve of Martínez’s 16 goals for Inter in all competitions this term have been netted in the first 30 minutes of games. That equates to 75 per cent.
- Only Liverpool (13) and Everton (10) have scored more headed goals than Inter (nine) in the current season in the top five European leagues.
- Prior to Young, the last English player to feature in a Serie A match for Inter was Paul Ince in 1997.
What’s next?
Inter host Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals on Wednesday.
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