Goals for Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez are enough to ensure Hamed Junior Traore's late response is for nothing - it is Inter who claim victory over Sassuolo and move 11 points clear at the summit of Serie A! Antonio Conte roars in celebration as his staff briefly mob him. The Nerazzurri almost have one hand on the Scudetto. Full-time at San Siro, it finishes Inter 2-1 Sassuolo.
What a spirited showing from Roberto De Zerbi's side in defeat - spirited, if ultimately a bit too toothless where it mattered. The visitors played their part in ensuring a late scare for the hosts however. They'll head away to regroup now and consider their next steps.
But Antonio Conte's men now have a double-digit lead at the summit, with nine games to go. Lukaku and Martinez are the heroes of the hour, with Ashley Young another fine performer. They keep on getting the results where they need to, even if it isn't always as easy as they'd want it to be.
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With another three points in their pocket then, Inter's path to the Scudetto looks all but assured, bar a spectacular collapse. They've got Cagliari up next on March 11 though - while Sassuolo stay on the road and make a trip to Benevento on March 12. Until then, thank you for joining us - and have a great week!20:44
90'+4'
FULL-TIME: INTER 2-1 SASSUOLO20:39
90'+3'
Lukaku again! A Sassuolo corner sees Consigli race up and the goalkeeper then has to tear back to try and stop the break from the Belgian. He doesn't - but the striker is offside!20:39
90'+2'
What a defensive effort from Marlon! Again, Lukaku breaks, this time with Hakimi able to bring in the ball - but the Sassuolo man gets back in the nick of time to block the square ball pushed towards Sanchez.20:38
90'
Isaac Karamoko is on for Chiriches as Sassuolo make another change. There will be four added minutes at San Siro.20:35
89'
Oh, Alexis Sanchez! That should have been the winner for Inter, as Lukaku carves out another brilliant run down the right before feeding his ex-Manchester United compatriot inside. Unlike Martinez before though, the attacker attempts a chip finish and just puts too much on it.20:35
87'
Suddenly Inter are all over the shop, racing around with a jolt of panicked energy. Sassuolo can sniff something remarkable here.20:35
85'
Djuricic nabs an assist as the man who looked to be attempting to hook some crackpot bicycle kick effort around the box in an act of desperation there. But the genius is all Traore's. What a moment that could be. Five minutes to go.20:33
85'
GOAL! HAMED JUNIOR TRAORE PULLS ONE BACK FOR SASSUOLO! 2-1! What a slice of luck that is for the visitors! Inter get themselves into a lather attempting to deal with an innocuous enough push around the box, and the ball deflects wildly out to the Empoli loanee, who lofts a spectacular finish into the far top corner past Handanovic. What a lifeline!
Alas not - instead, the free-kick is straight into the wall and Roberto De Zerbi is left to shake his head again. Lopez is then booked for handling the ball during a stoppage in play without the referee's consent, in a bit of a bizarre coda.20:32
82'
Oddei is straight into the action too, winning a free-kick following a foul from Darmian right on the edge of the Inter box. Is there the faintest chance of a comeback in the air?20:27
80'
Boga is the latest Sassuolo player to bow out, as Brain Oddei takes his spot.20:24
79'
Traore breaks smartly down the centre-left channel and pings a shot in that ricochets off Skriniar. It will be a corner to the visitors - one which they again fail to convert into a crucial chance.20:23
77'
With a likely winner under his belt, Martinez now heads off too for Inter, as Alexis Sanchez takes his place.20:21
75'
Rogerio too is off for the visitors, with Giorgos Kiriakopoulos on in his place.20:20
75'
Lukas Harasli has arrived to replace Toljan for Sassuolo now.20:20
73'
Chiriches shows off some fancy footwork without finding the final ball as he tips it into the box from the right. A moment later, Traore tickles the side netting. We're fast approaching the final quarter-hour.20:17
72'
Now Sassuolo shout for an alleged handball inside the Inter box and again, their calls are waved away. The rub of the green may have gone against them today.20:16
70'
Gagliardini has played his part for Inter now and Matias Vecino takes his place.20:14
69'
Another game, another two-goal leak at the back for Sassuolo. They might have spent so much in the final third today but it's not solved their problems on the back foot.20:15
67'
It's a lovely ball from Lukaku, and Inter do well to work the offside trap to their advantage. But Sassuolo are absolutely furious. There's no intervention from VAR however; the goal will stand.20:13
67'
GOAL! LAUTARO MARTINEZ DOUBLES INTER'S LEAD! 2-0! Roberto De Zerbi cannot believe that one - and he may have a point. At one end, Sassuolo see a potential penalty call for a shirt pull on Raspadori waved away, and the hosts immediately counter with a long ball to Lukaku. He ships it inside to his strike partner, one-on-one with Consigli, and he slots it neatly into the bottom-right corner. Game, set and match?
Lopez now absolutely bulldozes Sensi inside the centre-circle and Inter get a free-kick that they are in no hurry to take. It's all about game management for the hosts, even this far out from the end.20:09
63'
Martinez hounds after a loose ball and duly checks Chiriches near the halfway line with a shoulder as they jostle for possession. Conte is less than impressed with the leaden nature of his attacker's challenge.20:08
61'
Inter see the low set-piece out for a corner and then duly hustle that away from danger too. Again, Sassuolo just can't make it stick.20:05
60'
What a place to give that away Ashley Young! The former England man lunges almost on instinct to block a cross on the right edge of his box and smacks the ball with his forearm. He gets a booking for the intentional handball and Sassuolo have a free-kick just over 18 yards out.20:04
59'
Indeed, Eriksen is off for Inter and Stefano Sensi is on in his place.20:02
57'
Inter are shaping to make a change and it looks like Christian Eriksen - notching a second start in a row today - is about to make way.20:02
55'
Now Obiang pushes a low effort straight to the goalkeeper. Sassuolo are carving out the shots they were missing for long stretches in the first half, but their finishes are almost magnetically guided straight to Handanovic.19:59
53'
Traore now pushes an attempt wide of the post. Sassuolo are not going to go quietly into the night, but Handanovic just looks so nonchalant, it will take something special - or incredibly off-the-wall at least - to break back even.19:57
52'
Lukaku's goal in the first half was his first headed finish for Inter since last July, by the way. It's been a while for the big Belgian, a man looking for an impressive run-in ahead of Euro 2020.19:58
50'
Rogerio chances his aim from outside the box, cutting down the left flank, but he hooks a rather tame finish comfortably wide of the near post. The visitors will have to do better than that - and they do a moment later, with Boga flashing a low ball in that forces a save from Handanovic.19:54
48'
There's been no changes from either side at the interval, but don't be too shocked if one or both make a swap before the hour. Sassuolo might need to make one to switch the momentum up.19:54
46'
We're back underway in Serie A. Will this be smooth sailing for Inter from here? Or do Sassuolo have it in them to spring a surprise?19:49
There's plenty for both managers to be happy about there. Sassuolo remain in this contest, but just can't quite unlock the final ball. Inter are comfortable in the driving seat - so what can they do to disrupt that?19:37
Romelu Lukaku's well-placed header is the difference in a game where Inter have looked the less forward of two sides - but where they've also muzzled Sassuolo without too much complication. It's still hanging in the balance at San Siro though; half-time in Serie A, it is Inter 1-0 Sassuolo.19:34
45'
HALF-TIME: INTER 1-0 SASSUOLO19:32
44'
Young! That's the most wasteful touch of the game from the Inter man so far, on what has been a fine match so far, as he blazes a square ball over the crossbar.19:31
43'
This will be a fairly sedate team talk from Antonio Conte, surely? His side have not been on the ball too much but they've looked as comfortable as a cat curled up in the sunshine.19:32
41'
What a chance for Sassuolo! A delightful throughball wrong-foots everyone but Boga, who almost goes one-on-one with Handanovic - and the keeper just gets his foot in the right place to make the block. A vital touch.19:30
38'
Traore now tries his luck from distance and Sassuolo finally register another shot in this game. Alas, his lofted effort is straight into the keeper's breadbasket.19:26
36'
Darmian! The Inter man is on the back of a break from the hosts but sees his shot blocked in the box. Just a friendly reminder that even without too much ball, Conte's side are capable of crafting danger.19:26
35'
Hakimi concedes a Sassuolo corner, but again, the visitors just don't have their finishing boots on. It could be a long evening as they try to find something.19:25
33'
Antonio Conte looks relatively relaxed on the sidelines. Inter feel to be in control here. But there is a long way to go yet.19:23
31'
Inter are unbeaten in their last four games against Sassuolo in Serie A, of course, and right now, they look like they'll make it five. Despite all that ball, the visitors just can't unlock the defence of the hosts.19:21
29'
Ashley Young has been one of the star performers of this game, both with and without the ball. Every time he gets it down that left wing, Inter look dangerous - and every time Sassuolo come down it, he looks robust too.19:19
27'
Sassuolo whip it in and earn a second bite of the cherry through a corner - but it is robustly defended by Inter and the hosts finally break back into the opposition half.19:14
25'
Gagliardini clatters Traore, almost in response a few plays later, and he concedes what could be a dangerous set-piece opportunity for the visitors. Inter will have to be on their guard here.19:14
23'
Now it is Barella's turn to be on the receiving end of a hard challenge, with Traore the guilty party. He too is booked; there's been no shortage of yellow cards so far in this one.19:12
21'
But save those two early shots, Sassuolo have not notched another attempt since despite setting up an effective base camp inside the hosts' half. Inter don't look unduly worried by the lack of action; they have no need to chase this game.19:07
19'
Want an idea of how one-sided this has been since that goal? Inter have remarkably only had 21 per cent of possession across this game so far, with barely any of that in the last 10 minutes.19:06
17'
Barella lunges in with a sliding challenge on Rogerio and the latter goes tumbling away like he's hit a trampoline at speed. The Inter man, despite his protests of an over-exaggerated reaction, is booked for the effort.19:04
16'
Most of the ball since that goal has been heading towards Inter's box, which is a heartening sign for Sassuolo. It would have been a miserable disappointment if they'd folded so early.19:04
14'
Toljan brings down a booming delivery swung down the right edge deep into Inter territory, but by the time his fellow Sassuolo players have joined him, Inter have muscled enough defenders back to smother the immediate chance comfortably.19:02
12'
This was a comfortable victory in the reverse fixture for Inter of course and there is the chance that this game could run much the same way if Sassuolo are not careful. They'll have to be quicker to the danger than they were there.19:01
10'
There's something ironic about how these two men, outcasts in their final days at Old Trafford, have become such a threatening pair once more in Milan. Young has been fast so far today, and that is a corking ball to his old Red Devils team-mate.19:00
10'
GOAL! ROMELU LUKAKU OPENS INTER'S ACCOUNT! 1-0! It's an old Manchester United combination, as the Belgian rises to meet Ashley Young's well-shaped cross in the middle of the box, and clip a header behind him to beat Consigli at the far post. The perfect start for the hosts.
Inter's free-kick comes to nothing and the game shuffles back to midfield, the hosts wise to the potential for a lunging counter-attack. Hakimi then draws a foul from Djuricic, after he appears to be caught with a stray limb in the mouth.18:56
7'
Well, that's a bit of a risky play from Consigli. The Sassuolo keeper crashes out of his box and catches Young on the shin as the Inter man hounds after a ball down the left wing. He gets a booking, but he's lucky to perhaps not see worse, helped inadvertently by the former England man's lack of hysterics.18:55
6'
This has been a pacey first few minutes, both sides zipping up and down the turf at San Siro. Inter will be wise to look for the danger Sassuolo possess, particularly through the middle.18:55
4'
Obiang! The midfielder isn't too far off the mark for the visitors, latching onto a lazy square ball near the edge of Inter's box and curling a low effort just around the wrong side of the left post.18:51
3'
A busted half-chance for Barella at one end following a neat win-back from Martinez showcases some early defensive flaws for Sassuolo, but Djuricic responds by whistling a high shot towards goal down the other end. It's a lively start.18:51
1'
We are underway in this Serie A encounter between Inter and Sassuolo!18:47
The teams are poised to emerge at San Siro and we are moments away from kick-off.18:42
But it is the defence that might concern De Zerbi most; Sassuolo have conceded two or more goals in each of their last five league games. They have never recorded a longer such streak in Serie A history.18:38
The lack of Sassuolo's Domenico Berardi is a blow to the visitors though; he has scored six goals against Inter in Serie A since 2013-14, a feat no other player has surpassed in that period.18:34
The hosts will be looking to inch closer to a near-decade long record today; they have won their last 10 home games in Serie A, last doing better back in 2011, when they won 13 consecutive home matches.18:29
Subs: Federico Artioli, Federico Peluso, Gianluca Pegolo, Lukas Haraslin, Matteo Saccani, Isaac Karamoko, Georgios Kyriakopoulos, Brian Oddei, Stefano Piccinini, Stefano Turati, Francesco Magnanelli.18:26
SASSUOLO (4-2-3-1): Andrea Consigli; Jeremy Toljan, Vlad Chiriches, Marlon Santos, Rogerio; Pedro Obiang, Maxime Lopez; Hamed Junior Traore, Filip Djuricic, Jeremie Boga; Giacomo Raspadori.18:26
Subs: Andrea Ranocchia, Stefano Sensi, Andrea Pinamonti, Arturo Vidal, Daniele Padelli, Ionut Radu, Danilo D'Ambrosio, Alexis Sanchez, Matias Vecino.18:26
INTER (3-5-2): Samir Handanovic; Milan Skriniar, Stefan de Vrij, Matteo Darmian; Achraf Hakimi, Nicolo Barella, Roberto Gagliardini, Christian Eriksen, Ashley Young; Romelu Lukaku, Lautaro Martinez.18:26
Stefan de Vrij, Matteo Darmian and Roberto Gagliardini are the three faces that come into the hosts' starting XI from the team that narrowly beat out Bologna last time out. Sassuolo make no changes to the team who held Roma to a draw.18:26
But between them and another three points today is an opponent who, though out of form, will likely be no pushover. Roberto De Zerbi's team may have not been able to push on the way they might have hoped this term, but that won't stop them hunting a major scalp in Milan.18:21
Seven years on from his last Scudetto triumph at the helm of Juventus, Antonio Conte looks poised to dethrone the Bianconeri for the first time in a decade. The Nerazzurri are eight points clear at the summit, with this game in hand too - victory has never looked so near.18:16
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the 2020-21 Serie A season, as Inter look to further cement their status as champions-elect in a rearranged clash with Sassuolo at San Siro.18:12
Dove si gioca la partita:
Stadio: Giuseppe Meazza Città: Milano Capienza: 80074 spettatori18:12
Inter - Sassuolo is a match of 28 day of the season Serie A 2020/2021. The match will be 7 april at 18:45 in the stadium Giuseppe Meazza in Milano. Referee of Inter - Sassuolo will be Massimiliano Irrati with the help of Mauro Vivenzi e Luca Mondin. At VAR there will be Luca Banti.
Currently Inter is 1° in the standings with 71 points (thanks of 22 wins, 5 draws and 2 defeats); while Sassuolo is 9° in the standings with 40 points (thanks of 10 wins, 10 pareggi and 9 sconfitte). Inter scored 68 goals and conceded 27; Sassuolo scored 48 goals and conceded 48. The first leg Sassuolo - Inter was played on 28 november 2020 and it ended on a 0-3 score.
At home Inter scored 37 points (12 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss). Away Sassuolo scored 21 points (6 wins, 3 draws and 5 losses). Inter in the last three matches of the season challenged Torino, Bologna and Sassuolo obtaining 9 points thanks to 3 wins, 0 draws and 0 losses. Sassuolo in the last three matches of the season challenged Verona, Torino and Rom obtaining 4 points thanks to 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss. In the last match Inter was against Sassuolo winning 2-1 while Sassuolo was against Roma evening 2-2.
Inter and Sassuolo competed 15 times in the league. In the previous matches Inter won 6 times, Sassuolo won 7 times while the number of draw was 2.
These are the statistics of the two teams in the matches played in the season:
Where to see Inter-Sassuolo You can see the live match Inter-Sassuolo here on Virgilio Sport starting 18:45 CET of 7 april. Discover who will broadcast live Inter - Sassuolo between Sky and Dazn.
