Serie A 2018/2019 - Inter Milan 1-0 AC Milan: Three talking points

Serie A's biggest match took place at the Giuseppe Meazza in Milan, as arch-rivals Inter and AC Milan clashed in the Derby be Madonnina. The fixture was charged up with an intense atmosphere from the stands, as a city which is divided by two great clubs shut down for one of the most anticipated fixtures of the European calendar.

Despite losing its glamour status due to the dwindling fortunes of both clubs, the match is still highly regarded around the world, and for all the pre-match hype and pomp, the fixture delivered as advertised in an end to end contest which was full of energy, excitement and talking points. Here are three talking points from Inter’s derby victory over AC Milan:

#3 Inter Milan must do their utmost to keep Mauro Icardi

Icardi celebrating his last-gasp winner with his family, is Inter's chief goal threat

Despite much intensity and drive from both, the Milan derby appeared destined to end goalless as poor decision-making in the final third cost both sides.

However, Inter continued to probe and were eventually rewarded in stoppage-time after an excellent Matias Vecino cross was duly converted by Mauro Icardi - his fourth goal of the league campaign.

If you needed proof that he is an integral part of the Nerrazurri's ambitions, there you go. He finished as the league's joint-top goalscorer last term and has steadily proven himself since his arrival in 2013 - establishing his ability as one of Europe's top forwards too.

His goalscoring performances have naturally drawn attention from elsewhere, as transfer speculation has linked him with moves to both Real Madrid and Chelsea over the summer months. The club must do all in their powers to keep the European heavyweights at bay, as their ambitions going forward are very dependent on Icardi's attacking presence.

#2 Despite his ability, Donnarumma is overrated

Donnarumma has made a series of errors of late

Gianluigi Donnarumma made headlines around the world when he became the second youngest goalkeeper in history to make their Serie A debut when he started for Milan in 2015 aged just 16 years and 242 days. He later created more history when he became the youngest goalkeeper ever to represent the Azurri when he started for the Italian national team at just 17 years and 189 days in September 2016.

He had his stock steady rising as one of the best young players in the world, and was nominated for the prestigious Golden Boy award (which is handed to the best players in the world under the age of 21), with it suggested that he was the long-term heir to PSG's Gianluigi Buffon as the future of Italian football. The legendary goalkeeper himself endorsed the 19-year-old, and many believed that it was only a matter of time before Donnarumma established himself as the world's best goalkeeper.

However, since his exceptional form at the start of his career, the Milan youth product has seen a steady decline in his performances, making a string of shocking errors, with reports emerging that he cost Milan 11 points in the 2017/2018 league campaign due to mistakes which he made.

A lot of criticism has been levelled at his handling, and in the match against Inter, his deficiencies were once more at the fore, as he was guilty of a lot of basic errors not expected of a top-level goalkeeper. He mishandled a lot of harmless crosses in the match, electing to punch right back into danger instead of parrying away to safety which all went unpunished. His biggest gaffe of the night however came in stoppage-time as he misjudged the flight of Vecino’s cross, and was left stranded in no man's land handing Icardi a golden chance on a plate, and there was always going to be only one outcome from such opportunity.

The first Milan derby of the season was decided by a mistake (which is increasingly becoming a part of his game) from the much touted next Buffon, costing the Rossonerri one point and more importantly bragging rights. Big things were initially expected from Donnarumma, but two years on, he has not developed his significant weaknesses yet. He must do all in his powers to halt this worrying trend, as critics and supporters alike will only continue with their microscopic focus on his goalkeeping displays in future.

#1 Under Spalletti, Inter could be onto something this season

Spalletti has improved Inter Milan since his appointment

Once one of Europe's biggest teams, Inter Milan reached the peak of their powers towards the end of the previous decade when they won the Italian Scudetto for three consecutive seasons, culminating with their treble triumph in 2010.

Since then however, it has been downhill for the three-time European champions, as a string of off-field problems manifested itself into poor results on the pitch. Prior to this season, they had not made it to the Champions League since their poor defence of their crown in 2011, and have struggled to show any form of consistency in their play, wandering around in mid-table obscurity for much of the last five seasons.

A host of coaches have come and gone, as the Inter manager’s seat became notorious for its rapid hiring and firing of its occupant. Luciano Spalletti was appointed in the summer of 2017, and it was believed that his arrival would turn around the fortunes of the club, as he had shown his tactical nous in multiple top-tier sides, most notably at AS Roma where he earned rave reviews for positively influencing the way the Giallarossi played.

Under his guidance Inter led the Serie A table for much of the first few months, and were in title contention for much of the campaign before they fell away during the latter stages of the season. Despite this, they managed to secure qualification for the Champions League for the first time in six years, during an encouraging debut season under the 59-year-old.

During the current campaign, Spalletti has continued where he left off from last season - the club finds themselves in third place in the league standings, just six points behind leaders Juventus. Meanwhile in the Champions League, they are also in pole position to make it out of their tough group, which features Barcelona, Tottenham and PSV.

On a nine-match winning run across all competitions, this confidence was evident during this derby as their self-belief triumphed in dramatic circumstances here. Inter have fallen from their impressive heights in recent years but Spalletti has shown that he could be the man to restore them back to the pinnacle of Italian football.