Inter Milan rescued a point against AC Milan as they drew 1-1 with their rivals at San Siro on Sunday afternoon, but they lost ground on Serie A leaders Napoli.
Inter's first half was defined by offside goals, with Federico Dimarco and Lautaro Martinez both having strikes ruled out, though Milan deserve credit for their bravery when pushing their defensive line up.
Milan went on to punish Inter late in the first half when Tijjani Reijnders took advantage of Yann Sommer's poor save to give his side the lead at the interval.
The Black and Blues hit the woodwork in the second half and scored yet another goal that was ruled out, but they eventually found the breakthrough in the dying moments thanks to Stefan de Vrij, who stayed up front to provide another body in the box.
Despite rescuing a point, the draw means Inter are in second place with 51 points, two fewer than leaders Napoli after 22 matchweeks.
Meanwhile, the Rossoneri are in eighth place with 35 points and are five points from fourth-placed Juventus, who occupy the division's final Champions League qualification spot.
SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT
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The draw is by no means a disastrous result for Inter as the gap to Napoli could be easily overcome if Simone Inzaghi's side are able to show consistency in their final 16 league games.
Milan boss Sergio Conceicao can take a lot of positives from the match given his team demonstrated incredible levels of concentration, catching their opponents out after playing offside traps twice.
Kyle Walker made his debut for the Rossoneri, bringing a maturity to the backline, and he will no doubt benefit from the experience of playing in such an intense atmosphere.
AC MILAN VS. INTER MILAN HIGHLIGHTS
6th min: Federico Dimarco (Inter Milan) offside goal
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Nicolo Barella has the ball facing goal in the right channel and plays a pass through AC Milan's defence for Martinez, who cuts back for Dimarco to tap home, but the striker was offside when the initial pass was played from Barella.
A clear offside and good defending from Milan!
33rd min: Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan) offside goal
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Dimarco charges down the left flank with the ball and slips a pass in behind for Barella, who pulls the ball back to the penalty spot for Martinez, but this time the Argentine's goal is offside because Barella's run from midfield was poorly timed.
Great defending again from Milan's backline!
Tijjani Reijnders goal vs. Inter Milan (45th min, AC Milan 1-0 Inter Milan)
AC Milan take the lead right on half-time against Inter 👀@TNTSports & @discoveryplus 📺 pic.twitter.com/SO98fI4QMT
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 2, 2025
AC Milan counter-attack down the left with Rafael Leao, who fires a low shot inside from inside the box at Yann Sommer but the goalkeeper parries the ball into the path of Reijnders in the six-yard-box where he smashes the ball into the roof of the net.
Right on the stroke of half time!
64th min: Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan) goal ruled out
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Denzel Dumfries and Theo Hernandez go shoulder-to-shoulder down the right flank, and the Inter wing-back shoves Hernandez in the back before crossing to Martinez, but the referee blows for a foul and the striker's finish will not stand.
Three goals ruled out!
Stefan de Vrij goal vs. AC Milan (93rd min, AC Milan 1-1 Inter Milan)
INTER SNATCH AN EQUALIZER AT THE DEATH! 😳@TNTSports & @discoveryplus 📺 pic.twitter.com/o0WiiMCGVr
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 2, 2025
Yann Aurel Bisseck collects possession on the right of the penalty box and shifts the ball onto his left foot before swinging in a cross to the back post where Nicola Zalewski chests the ball down to Stefan de Vrij, who sweeps home from close range.
Inter have rescued the match!
MAN OF THE MATCH - FIKAYO TOMORI
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After being linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, Fikayo Tomori proved on Sunday afternoon why he is so vital for AC Milan, with his defensive display keeping Inter at bay for large periods.
The Black and Blues could have scored twice in the first half had Tomori not pushed the defensive line forward to catch both Barella and Martinez offside.
The centre-back also won seven of his seven ground duels, completed 36 of his 42 passes and won five of his six tackles.
AC MILAN VS. INTER MILANMATCH STATS
Possession: AC Milan 38%-62% Inter Milan
Shots: AC Milan 10-16 Inter Milan
Shots on target: AC Milan 4-6 Inter Milan
Corners: AC Milan 8-11 Inter Milan
Fouls: AC Milan 5-9 Inter Milan
BEST STATS
Milan go unbeaten against Inter after what looks to be the final Derby della Madonnina of the season 😮💨🔴⚫️ pic.twitter.com/v8hzJJ3U7S
— OneFootball (@OneFootball) February 2, 2025
WHAT NEXT?
Milan are set to take on Roma in the quarter-final of the Coppa Italia on Wednesday, and will then face Empoli in the league on February 8.
As for Inter, they travel to play Fiorentina in Serie A on Thursday before hosting them in just four days later on February 10.
Lewis Nolan
