Inter Milan manager Roberto Mancini has said that it was crucial for his team to win their Serie A meeting with Genoa on Saturday evening.

The Nerazzurri had suffered a 2-1 defeat against Napoli on Monday, but they bounced back to the top of the table with a 1-0 victory at San Siro.

"It was important for us to win after the Napoli game and it wasn't easy this evening," Mancini told Sky Sport Italia.

"Genoa are tough and give no reference points, they move around a lot and we ran into difficulties because we didn't take the early chances."

Inter have claimed 1-0 victories in eight of their 15 Serie A matches this season.