Inter go top of Serie A after coming from behind to beat Empoli 4-2. The visitors made a brilliant start to the game, with Pinamonti putting them ahead just five minutes in and Asllani added a second in the 28th minute after a quick break. Inter got themselves back into it with two goals in five minutes before the half-time; Romagnoli turned it into his own net before Martinez rifled them level. The Argentinian got his second in the 64th minute to give Inter the lead before Sanchez finished it off with a close-range finish deep in stoppage time.
Inter leapfrog Milan into top spot in the league, going one point clear of their rivals, who don't play until Sunday. Their attention now turns to the Coppa Italia final on Wednesday though, when they face Juventus. Empoli's winless run goes on and they remain in 14th. They face struggling Salernitana next time out.
That's all for today, goodbye!
Cronaca
Formazioni
Statistiche
90'+5'
FULL-TIME: INTER 4-2 EMPOLI.20:44
90'+4'
Vidal got the slightest of touches on Dzeko's cross at the near post, and although he couldn't direct it towards goal, he did help it onto Sanchez. 20:53
90'+4'
SANCHEZ SCORES! Inter finally have a fourth goal! It has been coming, and this time, Empoli couldn't keep them out. Dzeko gets a yard of space on Ismajli on the left of the box and puts a low cross into the far post which is helped on by Vidal. None of the Empoli defenders are picking up Sanchez, and he fires his shot in from close range. 4-2 Inter!
GREAT CHANCE! Barella lays it off to Dzeko, who has acres of space in the box again. He hits the shot first time but lifts it just over the bar. Inter should be completely out of sight in this game!20:53
90'+2'
OFF THE POST! Ismajli's throughball is cut out by Vidal and he sets Dzeko on the counter again. He rides the challenge from Bandinelli on the edge of the D before taking his shot from the right of the box. Vicario is beaten, but it smacks back off the far post.20:41
90'
GREAT CHANCE! Barella fizzes it forward for Perisic, and this time, he gets his delivery right as he curls a low cross into the far post. Sanchez is unmarked, but he's stretching to reach it and he ends up sending his shot high over the bar. 20:39
88'
Sanchez cuts inside from the left before playing a reverse ball out to Perisic. He sees another low cross blocked for a corner, and Empoli just can't get out at the moment. 20:53
86'
Yet another corner for Inter, but Sanchez hits this one too close to Vicario. He punches it away, but the hosts keep it alive. They work it out to Perisic, whose low cross is blocked by Benassi. 20:54
84'
Empoli are working it nicely out from the back. Bandinelli tries to help it on to Benassi, but they're not on the same wavelength and the chance goes to waste when the ball rolls out of play.20:33
82'
Inter are making their last change now, with Sanchez coming on in place of Correa. 20:54
81'
Dzeko gets the better of Parisi down the right and has acres of space to run into down the wing. The cross lets him down at the end of it as he gifts the ball straight to Romagnoli. 20:54
79'
GOOD SAVE! Correa is allowed to carry the ball a long way, with the Empoli defenders slow to close him down as he gets into the box. It looks like he's trying to walk it into the net, but Vicario spreads himself to smother the close-range shot on his goal line.20:27
78'
Final roll of the dice for Empoli here as Fiamozzi is taken off and replaced by Benassi.20:27
77'
Fourth change for Inter now, and it's Dumfries that's making way, with Darmian on in his place.20:26
76'
Barella helps it onto Dzeko, who opens up the space on the edge of the box with a drop of his shoulder to wrongfoot Luperto. He rushes the shot though and he curls a poor effort high and wide of the far post. 20:25
74'
There's a nervy moment at the back as D'Ambrosio gifts the ball to Bandinelli on the edge of Inter's box. Luckily for him, the midfielder seems surprised that it dropped for him, and De Vrij steps in to clear the danger.20:23
72'
Empoli are struggling to get a touch on the ball as Inter continue to dominate possession. The hosts look comfortable in the ball, and they're in no hurry to push forward at the moment. 20:20
70'
And Dimarco is also taken off, with D'Ambrosio coming on in his place. 20:19
70'
Martinez won't have the chance to go for a hat-trick as he makes way as well. Dzeko comes on for him.20:19
70'
Inter are making a triple change here, and Calhanoglu is the first player to go off. Vidal comes on to replace him.20:18
69'
And Stulac is also taken off, with Ismajli on in his place. 20:18
68'
Di Francesco tried to carry on, but it looks like that earlier problem is going to force him off. Just seven minutes after coming on, he makes way for Cutrone.20:17
66'
Di Francesco was caught by Brozovic in the build-up to Martinez's goal and he's stayed down. While the celebrations are ongoing for Inter, he's receiving treatment. 20:17
65'
Martinez took his shirt off for his celebration and he's the first player to go into the referee's book.20:14
64'
MARTINEZ SCORES! And Inter lead for the first time in this game! Barella's clipped cross is blocked by Fiamozzi, but he can only put it back into the danger zone. Martinez is waiting on the penalty spot and he fires it past Vicario with a first time shot into the net. 3-2 Inter!
VICARIO AGAIN! Inter break quickly on another counter-attack and Martinez is slid through in the middle. He keeps his shot low, but the keeper makes a good save with his legs.20:12
62'
GOOD SAVE! The corner count continues to go up for Inter, but Empoli are throwing bodies on the line to keep the ball out. Dumfries has the first chance when his thumping header is punched away by Vicario. It pinballs around Barella, Martinez, Correa and Skriniar also have a go, but Empoli make some brilliant blocks.20:15
61'
Empoli are making a double change here. Zurkowski is first to go off, with Henderson on in his place. 20:09
60'
And Bajrami, who has struggled to make an impact on this game, also goes off, with Di Francesco replacing him.23:29
59'
GOOD CHANCE! The corner is taken short this time, and it's worked to Barella on the edge of the D. He takes a touch to get it out of his feet before putting his laces through it, but his shot flashes wide of the post. 20:08
58'
Another corner is curled in by Dimarco and he picks out De Vrij on the edge of the box this time. He thumps a header towards goal, but it's at a comfortable height for Vicario.20:07
56'
Calhanoglu bursts forward down the right before squaring it into the near post where Correa tries a clever little flick to take it past Vicario. Stulac steps in with a vital block though, and does enough to take it away from goal.20:05
54'
Calhanoglu is one of just three Inter players that has provided at least 11 assists in a single Serie A campaign in the last 15 seasons, after Maicon in 2009-10 and Romelu Lukaku in 2020-21. 20:02
52'
Dimarco finds a small pocket of space, but Romagnoli just steps in front of him to block the shot. Martinez help it back to the defender, but he slices at his follow-up effort and it's straight at Vicario.20:00
50'
GOOD SAVE! Inter clear Empoli's latest corner and quickly break on the counter. Perisic drives down the left before flashing a low shot across goal. Vicario gets fingertips to it to help it wide of the post. 19:59
48'
It's a sloppy pass out from Romagnoli which puts Empoli under pressure and Perisic curls a lovely cross into the far post. Dumfries thumps a header back across goal, but it's always going wide. 19:56
46'
Inter get us back underway for the second half! 19:53
Inzaghi was a frustrated figure on the touchline through most of the half, though he will be pleased with how his side got themselves back into this. He'll be hoping they can pick up where they left off to finish the comeback. Empoli looked good for the first 40 minutes, but they looked shaky after conceding the first goal. Andreazzoli will be trying to calm them before they come back out after the break. 19:47
It's all square at the break, with Inter and Empoli drawing 2-2. It was a brilliant start from the visitors, with Pinamonti stretching to tap Empoli ahead in the fifth minute. Asllani had a goal disallowed just five minutes later for offside, but he did get his name on the scoresheet after another quick break. Inter piled the pressure on and pulled one back through Romagnoli's own goal when he tried to block a cross, and Martinez equalised five minutes later when he rifled in.19:57
45'+4'
HALF-TIME: INTER 2-2 EMPOLI.19:37
45'+3'
GOOD SAVE! Dimarco puts another good corner into the box and it hits Stulac before bouncing through to Calhaonglu. He lets it bounce before firing a shot at the near post. Vicario is in the right place to smother it, but he needs help from Bandinelli to clear it.19:36
45'+2'
Inter think they can turn this around before the half-time whistle as they burst forward again. Unsurprisingly, they look to their left side, but Dimarco's cross is cleared by Luperto at the far post.19:35
45'
It's a great run from Calhanoglu down the left and he has a quick glance up before picking out Martinez with a perfectly-weighted pass.19:35
45'
MARTINEZ EQUALISES! And just like that, Inter are level! Barella nicked it off Asllani before setting Inter on a quick counter. He threads it through to Calhanoglu, who pulls it back for Martinez. He hits the shot first time and rifles it past Vicario. There's a quick VAR check to see if it was a foul from Barella in the build-up. It wasn't, so it's 2-2!
CHANCE! It's Perisic again, who wrongfoots Fiamozzi before picking out Martinez in the middle. His header loops up and falls to Barella at the far post. He hits it first time, but it swerves over the crossbar. 19:34
42'
Inter are pushing forward with even more intent now as they search for an equaliser before half-time. Perisic lifts one in from the left this time, but it's just too high for Martinez.19:30
40'
OWN GOAL! Inter have one back! It comes from Inter's left again, with Dimarco whipping another dangerous delivery into the middle. There's no one in the six-yard box for Inter, but Romagnoli wasn't to know. He stuck out a leg which took it over Vicario and into the bottom corner. 2-1!
Inter look to Perisic again, and he links up well with Dimarco, who curls a great cross into the six-yard box. Vicario takes no chances as he punches it away, and Stulac sets his team on the counter. 19:28
36'
Perisic squeezes his way into the box before touching it into Martinez, who squares it into Barella. Instead of shooting, he lays it off to Dumfries, whose low cross is cut out by Romagnoli, and it was one pass too many for Inter.19:24
34'
Inter are still dominating possession here, but they can't find a way through Empoli at the moment. The visitors are staying compact and making it difficult for Inter to get forward.19:22
32'
VAR has a quick check at that incident involving Barella and agrees with the referee that there wasn't much in it. The Inter fans and players really aren't happy with that decision.19:20
30'
Perisic swings a cross in and there are more shouts for a penalty as Barella somersaults through the air, claiming he was pushed. There didn't look to be a lot of contact, but the home players are swarming around the referee.19:22
28'
Fiamozzi just has a quick glance up and spots Asllani's run through the middle, so he plays it long over the top for him.19:18
28'
ASLLANI SCORES! It was a simple long ball over the top from Fiamozzi that caught out Inter's defence and Asllani just popped up behind De Vrij to bring it down with a lovely first touch. Handanovic rushes out to him and Asllani drills it at him, with the shot taking a deflection off the keeper before rolling over the line. Skriniar can't keep it out, and it's 2-0 Empoli!
Inter break quickly on the counter, and Barella spots Dumfries in space down the right again. He tries to pull it back from the byline, but Parisi came sprinting back to make an important block.19:17
24'
NO PENALTY! VAR has a look at the replays of the incident before asking the referee to go over to the monitor and have a look himself. Parisi slid in and got a toe to the ball before Barella fell over him and the decision is overturned! 19:11
22'
PENALTY TO INTER! Inter work it from Martinez to Calhanoglu, to Brozovic who then slides it through to Barella. His first touch is good before Parisi slides in and Barella goes to ground. It looked like the defender got the ball, but the referee points to the spot.19:11
21'
CHANCE! Perisic gets the better of Fiamozzi again, and this time, he swings a wonderful cross into the box. Martinez makes a late run onto it, but can only send his header flying high over the bar.19:09
19'
All of the pressure is coming from Inter now and Martinez quickly wins it back off Fiamozzi before pulling it back for Barella. He takes it around Parisi, only to see his cross blocked by Romagnoli.19:07
17'
Dimarco swings a deep corner into the box, but Dumfries ends up getting in De Vrij's way. It bounces back out to Brozovic, who floats it back into the danger zone, but De Vrij hits his volley straight against Luperto.19:05
15'
OFF THE POST! It's better from Inter this time, with Dumfries lifting it over the top for Barella. He gets goalside of Luperto and lets it bounce before volleying his effort across goal. Vicario is beaten, but it clips the far post on its way wide. 19:03
14'
The hosts are still seeing more of the ball at the moment, but it's all in front of Empoli. They're pressing high up the pitch and making things difficult for Inter.19:02
12'
Inter look a little rattled after Empoli's lightning-quick start to the game, but Perisic is pushing forward down the left. He gets away from Fiamozzi before looping a deep cross over everyone and harmlessly out on the far side.19:00
10'
NO GOAL! Stulac drilled a powerful shot towards goal, but it's blocked by Dimarco, and it loops back across the box to Pinamonti, who holds off Skriniar long enough to lift it into Asllani, who finds the back of the net again. Pinamonti came back from an offside position though and this one won't count. Still 1-0! 19:00
9'
Brozovic lifts a deep free-kick into the far post from the right and Skriniar pulls away to nod it back into the middle. De Vrij tries to hit it on the half volley, but can't make contact and Romagnoli hooks it away.18:57
7'
Inter are looking to make a quick response to that early Empoli goal and Calhanoglu whips it in from the left. Martinez scuffs it towards goal, and it causes a bit of confusion, but Vicario gets enough on it to help it away.18:56
5'
It's a great delivery from Zurkowski, and it takes Dimarco out of the game, with Pinamonti behind him.18:54
5'
PINAMONTI SCORES! It's another quick break from Empoli, with Zurkowski driving forward down the right. He fizzes a wonderful low cross into the box and Pinamonti makes a run across De Vrij before stretching to touch it past Handanovic, who was static on his line. 1-0 Empoli!
Inter are patiently trying to play out from the back when Skriniar plays a loose pass forward. Bandinelli intercepts again, but his throughball has too much on it to get Pinamonti in behind.18:53
2'
Brozovic has his pocket picked by Bandinelli but three Inter defenders quickly crowd around him to stop him from getting into the box. Empoli are putting them under a little early pressure here. 18:50
1'
Bajrami gets the game underway for Empoli!18:48
The teams are coming out onto the pitch now, with kick-off just moments away! 18:44
Inter are unbeaten in their last 13 Serie A matches against Empoli, winning the last eight on the bounce - Empoli's last win against them came back in April 2006 when they came away with a 1-0 victory.18:40
Aurelio Andreazzoli makes five changes from his team's defeat to Torino last Sunday. Fiamozzi, Romagnoli, Stulac, Bandinelli and Bajrami all come into the side. Viti, Henderson and Di Francesco start on the bench, while Valerio Verre and Petar Stojanovic are both suspended after being sent off in that game. 18:37
Simone Inzaghi makes just three changes to the side that beat Udinese last time out, with Dumfries, Calhanoglu and Correa all being brought in. Barella also starts after recovering from a knee problem picked up in that game. Darmian, Gagliardini and Dzeko all drop to the bench.18:34
EMPOLI SUBS: Tommaso Baldanzi, Samir Ujkani, Liam Henderson, Patrick Cutrone, Andrea La Mantia, Jacopo Furlan, Marco Benassi, Federico Di Francesco, Liberato Cacace, Mattia Viti, Ardian Ismajli, Jacopo Fazzini.18:31
EMPOLI STARTING XI (4-3-1-2): Guglielmo Vicario; Riccardo Fiamozzi, Simone Romagnoli, Sebastiano Luperto, Fabiano Parisi; Szymon Zurkowski, Leo Stulac, Filippo Bandinelli; Kristian Asllani; Nedim Bajrami, Andrea Pinamonti.18:28
INTER SUBS: Alex Cordaz, Matias Vecino, Robin Gosens, Felipe Caicedo, Roberto Gagliardini, Alexis Sanchez, Matteo Darmian, Danilo D'Ambrosio, Andrea Ranocchia, Arturo Vidal, Edin Dzeko, Ionut Radu.18:25
INTER STARTING XI (3-5-2): Samir Handanovic; Milan Skriniar, Stefan de Vrij, Federico Dimarco; Denzel Dumfries, Nicolo Barella, Marcelo Brozovic, Hakan Calhanoglu, Ivan Perisic; Joaquin Correa, Lautaro Martinez.18:22
Inter have the chance to leapfrog rivals Milan into top spot in Serie A with a win here today, with Stefano Pioli's side not playing until Sunday. Inter got back to winning ways against Udinese last time out with a 2-1 victory after their shock loss to Bologna a few days earlier. As for Empoli, although they're still not mathematically safe, it looks unlikely that they'll be dragged into a late relegation scrap. They've won just one of their last 18 games in the league (D8 L9), and haven't recorded an away win since back in mid-December when they beat Napoli 1-0.18:18
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Serie A meeting between Inter and Empoli at San Siro!18:15
Dove si gioca la partita:
Stadio: Giuseppe Meazza Città: Milano Capienza: 80074 spettatori18:15
Inter - Empoli is a match of 36 day of the season Serie A 2021/2022. The match will be 6 may at 18:45 in the stadium Giuseppe Meazza in Milano. Referee of Inter - Empoli will be Gianluca Manganiello with the help of Alessio Berti e Mauro Galetto. At VAR there will be Luca Banti.
Currently Inter is 1° in the standings with 78 points (thanks of 23 wins, 9 draws and 4 defeats); while Empoli is 14° in the standings with 37 points (thanks of 9 wins, 10 pareggi and 17 sconfitte). Inter scored 78 goals and conceded 31; Empoli scored 48 goals and conceded 69. The first leg Empoli - Inter was played on 27 october 2021 and it ended on a 0-2 score.
At home Inter scored 42 points (13 wins, 3 draws and 2 losses). Away Empoli scored 21 points (5 wins, 6 draws and 6 losses). Inter in the last three matches of the season challenged Bologna, Udinese and Empoli obtaining 6 points thanks to 2 wins, 0 draws and 1 loss. Empoli in the last three matches of the season challenged Udinese, Napoli and Torino obtaining 3 points thanks to 1 win, 0 draws and 2 losses. In the last match Inter was against Empoli winning 4-2 while Empoli was against Torino losing 1-3.
Inter and Empoli competed 27 times in the league. In the previous matches Inter won 21 times, Empoli won 3 times while the number of draw was 3.
These are the statistics of the two teams in the matches played in the season:
Where to see Inter-Empoli You can see the live match Inter-Empoli here on Virgilio Sport starting 18:45 CET of 6 may. Discover who will broadcast live Inter - Empoli between Sky and Dazn.
