MILAN : A goal from Lautaro Martinez was enough to earn Inter Milan a 1-0 win over Genoa at the San Siro on Saturday and send the home side provisionally top of the Serie A standings.
The win moved Inter to 57 points, one ahead of Napoli who are away to Como on Sunday, while Genoa are 12th on 30 points.
Inter came into the game on the back of a disappointing run, with one win in their last four matches and, with a top-of-the-table clash with Napoli coming up in a week’s time, were badly in need of a confidence boost.
The hosts laid siege to the Genoa half in the opening 10 minutes without ever really creating a clear-cut chance.
Inter could find no way through, their every foray into the Genoa area blocked by a determined and disciplined defence and neither keeper was troubled in an opening half short on entertainment.
Joaquin Correa, making just his second start of the campaign, limped off at the break forcing Inter into a change, with Mehdi Taremi coming on for the second half.
Inter were already without the injured Marcus Thuram and were sorely missing their top scorer in the league this season.
The first chance after the break fell to Inter’s Denzel Dumfries but he blasted his shot wildly over the bar, while Genoa preferred a calmer approach, biding their time for the chance to counter.
After more than an hour played without a shot on target, Inter were then denied twice, with Mattia Bani clearing off the line from a corner before Genoa keeper Nicola Leali parried away Taremi’s effort.
Nicolo Barella thundered a shot off the crossbar as Inter piled on the pressure but it was Genoa who came nearest next with a close-range header from Caleb Ekuban blocked down by keeper Josep Martinez.
Martinez was making his league debut for Inter, with Yann Sommer out injured, having spent the last two seasons guarding the Genoa goal.
Minutes later Inter had a corner at the other end and a glancing header from Martinez took a deflection off Genoa midfielder Patrizio Masini to squirm past Leali and into the net with 12 minutes remaining.
Genoa pushed for an equaliser but Inter had chances to increase their lead, with Leali denying both Taremi and Martinez, and Simone Inzaghi’s side held on to pile the pressure on Napoli who will now aim to return to the summit.
