Inter were in top gear on Sunday when they marched past Sassuolo as the fight for the Scudetto continues.
Christian Chivu’s men dismantled their hosts, who finished with ten men, courtesy of goals from Lautaro Martinez, Manuel Akanji, Marcus Thuram, Luis Henrique, and a hat-trick of Federico Dimarco assists.
The Nerazzurri came into the clash on a sparkling form, winning 10 of their last 11 Serie A games. Their last outing was a 2-1 victory in a Coppa Italia quarter-final clash over Torino on Wednesday.
Sassuolo had a chance to score in the first minute of the encounter as Ismael Kone from Armand Laurienté’s lay-off and his curler beat Yann Sommer, but Dimarco was there for a decisive goal-line clearance.
Luis Henrique called Arijanet Muric to action with a near-post shot resulting in a corner, and Inter went ahead.
Dimarco floated a corner to the back post for the Yann Bisseck header to give Inter the lead.
Dimarco almost punished Muric, who was off his line as he floated a free kick over him, but the ball thumped the crossbar, while Lauriente’s cross-shot turned into an accidental assist for Berardi to flick wide with his heel.
Inter made it two when Dimarco bent the cross from the left around the defenders and swung back in for Thuram to sweep first-time from six yards. It’s a French striker who finally ended a month-long Serie A drought with the goal.
Muric was again called to action when Piotr Zielinski stung his gloves.
Sassuolo thought they had reduced the deficit just before the half-time when Berardi’s wayward volley on a Laurienté cross turned into an assist for Kristian Thorstvedt to cushion it over the line from six yards.
However, the goal couldn’t stand because Laurienté’s kneecap was offside at the start of the move.
Muric again kept the scoreline down when Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s follow-up stung his gloves.
Inter then made it three from the resulting throw-in, punishing Sassuolo for a poor clearance which allowed Lautaro Martinez to control with his chest and sweep in first time from 12 yards.
The striker with the goal has equalled Roberto Boninsegna’s tally to become the third all-time top scorer for the Nerazzurri.
Inter then scored the fourth from a corner released by Dimarco, which Manuel Akanji nodded in relatively undisturbed.
The Neroverdi then went a man down after there was a claim of a foul, resulting in Nemanja Matic being booked for dissent, immediately escalating his protests, to warrant a red card.
After the introduction of January recruits, Ulysses Garcia and M’Bala Nzola, Inter again punished Muric, caught rushing off his line at the wrong time, as Luis Henrique let it bounce, controlled with his chest, and smashed the half-volley into the roof of the net from a tricky angle.
They almost made it six in stoppages as Kone cleared a looping Akanji header off the line.
