Goals from Federico Dimarco and Romelu Lukaku guided Inter to victory over rivals Roma in an ill-tempered contest at Stadio Olimpico.
Inter kept themselves on course for a top-four finish in Serie A after they defeated Roma 2-0 in an ill-tempered clash on Saturday.
The Nerazzurri took the lead in the first half thanks to Federico Dimarco’s tight finish before Romelu Lukaku’s chipped strike sealed the three points at the Stadio Olimpico 16 minutes from time.
Simone Inzaghi’s side moved back into the top four ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final with arch-rivals Milan and boosted their hopes of qualifying for next season’s competition.
However, for Jose Mourinho’s Giallorossi, defeat leaves them five points off the top four with just four games remaining, so they face an uphill battle.
Several injury layoffs meant chances were relatively high during a very even opening quarter.
Lukaku required treatment in the six-yard box shortly after Lorenzo Pellegrini went close, while Nicola Zalewski fared worse after taking a quick ball to the face.
But Inter took the lead just after the half-hour when Dimarco flicked Denzel Dumfries’ ball into the net after Bryan Cristante’s clever deflection.
Roma fought back and were angered when Matteo Darmian escaped a penalty for handball in the box just before the hour mark, with tempers still running high.
Even so, the home side still looked in the game until a defensive misread by Roger Ibanez allowed the opposition to make the most of a long ball downfield.
Lautaro Martinez pounced on a loose ball and played in Lukaku for an equalizing finish, eventually sealing victory for Inter with just over quarter of an hour remaining.
