Inter 'lose heads' in Lazio defeat as battling AC Milan go top

Current champions Inter suffers season's first defeat by 3-1 to Lazio, as AC Milan go on top of Serie A table

By AFP
October 18, 2021


AFP/File

MILAN: Reigning champions Inter Milan suffered their first Serie A defeat of the season as they lost a bad-tempered game by 3-1 to Lazio on Saturday, while AC Milan fought back from two goals down against Verona to go top of the table.

Inter were incensed after Felipe Anderson tapped home a rebound in the 81st minute to put the hosts 2-1 ahead at the Stadio Olimpico, with the visiting players angry that Lazio had not stopped play due to Federico Dimarco being down injured.

But Lazio were under no obligation to stop and Dimarco had hit the floor before Inter continued attacking themselves.

Five yellow cards were dished out in the aftermath as the away side's protests stopped play for several minutes, with visiting full-back Denzel Dumfries perhaps lucky to only be booked.

It was a miserable return to the capital for away coach Simone Inzaghi, who left Lazio in the close-season to replace Antonio Conte at Inter.

His Lazio replacement, Maurizio Sarri, has often been criticised in the early weeks of the campaign, but the three points take his new team into fifth place.

''(We) conceded a strange second and lost our heads,'' Inzaghi told DAZN.

''That should not happen, because the referee can let play continue and there were 10 minutes plus stoppages to go, we should've kept playing.

''The third goal was the worst, as we were not defending properly and switched off. We lost our focus and there was still time to make up for the second goal until then.''

Inter remain third and could slip seven points behind Napoli when they put their 100-percent record on the line against Torino on Sunday.

AC Milan took first place overnight, though, as Zlatan Ibrahimovic made his return from injury as a substitute in a dramatic 3-2 victory over Verona.

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