Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s brace ensured Inter Milan continued their unbeaten start to the season as they held off bitter rivals AC Milan 5-1.
Inter made the perfect start to the Milan derby with two goals from Mkhitaryan and Marcus Thuram before Rafael Leao gave Milan hope with a quick finish after the break.
Mkhitaryan earned a boost before Hakan Calhanoglu’s penalty and David Frattesi’s goal ensured there was no turning back for Milan, who now face Newcastle in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The three points mean that Inter have won all four games in Serie A this season and remain two points clear at the top of the table.
Mkhitaryan set the tone in the fifth minute with a clean first-time effort from close range that found the bottom corner and the goal stood despite a VAR review for a line-up foul.
The former Manchester United and Arsenal midfielder went close in the second with a header wide and Federico Dimarco then fired a free-kick over the bar before Theo Hernandez tried his luck for Milan but his effort flew over the bar.
Thuram doubled Inter’s advantage in the 38th minute with a stunning strike across the goal and into the top corner.
Milan had a chance after a free-kick was awarded just outside the box just before the break, but Olivier Giroud headed the ball over the bar.
Despite a good start from Inter in the second half, it was Milan who pulled one back in the 58th minute after a superb pass from Giroud found Leao and his deflected shot slotted into the net.
Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan dived well to the right to deny Carlos Augusto, who headed the ball in from beyond the box as Inter piled on the pressure.
The Nerazzurri struck again in the 68th minute after a superb team save saw Lautaro Martinez put the ball away to Mkhitaryan before the midfielder found the bottom corner, helped by a deflection to claim the rebound.
Milan’s misery continued when Hernandez conceded a penalty after catching Martinez in the box and Calhanoglu made no mistake from the spot when he fired the ball low under Maignan in the 79th minute.
Frattesi capped a dominant night for Inter after bursting through the Milan defence, getting on the end of Mkhitaryan’s well-timed pass and slotting the ball home.
Inter
Sommer: Wasn’t called into action much in the first half, beaten by a smart Leao finish. 6.0/10
Bastoni: Dangerous high boot and a silly booking to pick up so early on but otherwise very good. 6.0/10
Acerbi: Back in the starting XI and put his experience to very good use. 6.5/10
Darmian: Very solid in the opening half but left for dead by Leao on the Milan goal. 6.0/10
Dumfries: Wonderful run on the break to setup the second goal for Inter. 6.5/10
Mkhitaryan: In the right place at the right time for the Inter opener, took the third goal with a smart finish and set up Frattesi for the fifth. Impeccable. 8.5/10
Calhanoglu: Felt like he was pretty quiet for a large period before stepping up to convert the penalty in clinical fashion. 6.5/10
Barella: Kept the midfield ticking over, simple things, but didn’t put a foot wrong. 6.5/10
Dimarco: Played a part in the opening goal but unfortunately injured and subbed off. 6.5/10
Thuram: Superb run to keep the ball in and set up the first goal. Stunning finish for the second goal. Stunning. 8.0/10
Martinez: Really smart play to cut the ball back for Mkhitaryan who scored Inter’s third.. 7.5/10
Substitutions:
Frattesi: Came off the bench to score the Inter fifth goal, another excellent cameo. 6.5/10
Arnautovic: 5.5/10
Carlos Augusto: 5.5/10
Di Vrij: N/A
Asllani: N/A
Milan
Maignan: A bad day at the office for the Frenchman who was let down by his defence. 4.5/10
Calabria: One of the better defenders in the back line, but lacked in the final third. 5.5/10
Kjaer: Struggled with the pace of things early on and looked too slow to keep up with the speed of the Inter attack. 5.5/10
Thiaw: Got forward at times, including a shot just wide of Sommer’s far post. Had a tough time of it when defending. 5.0/10
Theo Hernandez: Smart set-piece that almost released Leao and then a great run into the box with a shot that was just wide of the far post. Very poor challenge to concede the late penalty. 5.0/10
Krunic: Really didn’t have much of an impact on the game at all. 5.0/10
Loftus-Cheek: A few touches aside, he worked hard but had little influence. 5.0/10
Reijnders: The best of the midfield three, trying to create and link up with the attack. 5.0/10
Pulisic: A frustrating night, struggled to get into the match and subbed off for the second ’45. 4.5/10
Leao: Took his goal with a lovely, cool finish. The only Milan player who really emerged with any credit. 6.5/10
Giroud: Starved of service in the first half, played a great ball to release Leao for the Milan goal. 6.0/10
Substitutions:
Chukwueze: 5.0/10
Okafor: 5.0/10
Florenzi: N/A
Jovic: N/A
Musah: N/A