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Inter Milan claimed another huge win in Serie A after thumping city rivals AC Milan 3-0 at the San Siro to extend their lead at the top of the table to four points on Sunday.
A brace from Lautaro Martinz and a goal from Romelu Lukaku sealed the deal for the Nerazzurri, who claimed the spoils in the Derby Della Madoninna for a second consecutive time.
Having ceded the pole position following a stunning loss to Spezia last weekend, the Rossoneri had to win in order to go top again.
However, a flat performance from Stefano Pioli's side meant Inter Milan cruised to a comfortable win, and are now genuine favorites for the Scudetto.
Here are the hits and flops from the Milan derby:
Hit: Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan)
Romelu Lukaku continued his incredible record against AC Milan with another strike tonight, even surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo atop the league's scoring charts.
The strapping Belgian first set up Lautaro Martinez for the opener, laying a wonderful over-the-top cross for the Argentinian to head home from close range.
After he doubled Inter Milan's advantage in the second half, Lukaku put the final nail in the Rossoneri's coffin with a thumping low drive beyond Gianluigi Donnarumma.
That was his fifth strike against them in five games since joining the Nerazzurri, having struck at least once in every game, and Milan must be sick at the sight of him by now.
Flop: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (AC Milan)
The veteran striker was on target against Inter Milan in his last two appearances this season. Tonight, however, Ibrahimovic was below his best, failing to score against his former side.
With the 'away' side dominating possession, the Swede was isolated upfront, devoid of proper service and reduced to a mere bystander as his side was put through the gauntlet.
It's not to suggest the 39-year old failed to muster a single effort on target. In fact, he made five in the game, more than anyone, but his shots lacked the usual venom.
To make it worse for him, Lukaku was on target once again, rubbing salt into Ibrahimovic's wounds who was subbed off just moments later.
Hit: Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
Consistency might be Lautaro Martinez's Achilles heel but he's got no problem showing up in the big games for the Inter Milan.
With another brace tonight, the Argentinian ace is now just one goal short of matching his tally from last season. 14 league goals is also the most he's ever managed in a single campaign.
Martinez opened the scoring after thumping home a precise header beyond Donnarumma in the fourth minute before doubling his side's advantage with a close finish after the break.
This was his first pair of strikes against Milan since March 2019, but more importantly, Lautaro helped Inter Milan to a crucial win that boosted their hopes of a league crown.
Flop: Alessio Romagnoli (AC Milan)
Defending against an in-form Romelu Lukaku is no mean feat and Alessio Romagnoli failed to keep the Belgian's subdued all night.
Time and time again, the Inter Milan hitman received a pass with his back to the 26-year old centre-back and stormed forward with a pace he just couldn't match.
Whenever the Nerazzurri broke forward on the counter, Romagnoli was mostly seen trailing the last man, while Martinez also had a nice time running rings around him.
He knew what he was going up against but the Italian defender didn't come prepared and was torn asunder by Inter's excellent hold-up play.
Hit: Ivan Perisic (Inter Milan)
So often an unsung hero in Inter's games and rarely in the limelight for his performances, Ivan Perisic deserves full credit for creating the last two goals which left Milan no chance of coming back in the match.
The Nerazzurri produced two amazing counter-attacking moves on each of those occasions but it was the Croatian international's brilliant final ball which put it on a plate for the strikers to finish.
Christian Eriksen laid a wonderful through ball which Perisic latched on to after a smooth driving run into the box before laying it off perfectly for Martinez, and then initiated another break by releasing Lukaku with a simple pass.
Credit to Martinez and Lukaku for their cutting edge finishes but Perisic can feel proud of his work too. He's now on five top-flight assists for the season, needing just one more to equal his tally from last year with Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.
