Inter came from behind to beat relegation-threatened Atalanta 3-1 at the San Siro on Saturday to leapfrog AS Roma at the top of the Serie A table.
Goals from Diego Milito, Kenya midfielder McDonald Mariga and Cristian Chivu saw the champions claim three vital points in the title race after Simone Tiribocchi’s opener for the visitors.
In the day’s late game, Palermo ended AC Milan’s title hopes with a 3-1 success in Sicily.
PHOTO: EPA
Inter now lead Roma by two points, although the capital-based club have a game in hand.
Atalanta remain in the bottom three, two points from safety.
“Today’s was an important victory and I’m really happy to be a part of this group,” Mariga said after making a rare Inter start. “It’s a great group, with great players. I’m happy with how things are going and today’s goal was important. I’m even more happy because my mother came to Milan to see me tonight and I scored.”
The win allowed Inter to put Mario Balotelli’s shirt-throwing incident, against Barcelona in midweek, behind them, although some fans demonstrated banners indicating they had not forgotten his petulant antics.
It was the second week in a row in which Inter played before Roma and once again they managed to heap maximum pressure on their rivals, but following their Champions League exertions in midweek, coach Jose Mourinho rang the changes, with four of Tuesday’s starters on the bench and two left out altogether.
Those who came in took time to settle down and it was one of them who was at fault for Atalanta’s fifth-minute opener.
Thomas Manfredini played a long ball forward from leftback and World Cup winner Marco Materazzi was ill-advised in pushing up, trying to catch Tiribocchi offside.
He failed and the forward buried a rasping drive from the edge of the box.
Inter, though, gradually found their stride and took control, but it was another mistake on 24 minutes that allowed them to equalize.
Wesley Sneijder hit a ball over the top on the counterattack, but it was heading straight for Paolo Bianco who should easily have cut it out. Instead, it skipped off his thigh and Milito ran onto it and flicked a delightful lob over Ferdinando Coppola from outside the area with the goalkeeper in no-man’s land.
Inter took the lead 10 minutes before the break when Sneijder fed Samuel Eto’o on the left, before missing his center, only for Mariga to pop up and drill home from 10m.
The hosts threatened to put the game to bed before halftime, but Ivan Cordoba’s header was straight at Coppola and Eto’o blazed high over the bar at the back post on the volley.
Atalanta started the second half brightly, with Tiberio Guarente firing just over from distance, before Julio Cesar tipped over a Manfredini free-kick.
Midway through the second period Inter looked certain to score on the counterattack, but Coppola stuck out a boot to block Sulley Muntari’s fierce shot after he was teed up by Milito.
A quarter of an hour before the end, substitute Thiago Motta brought a sprawling save out of Coppola with an acrobatic volley from the edge of the area.
Then 12 minutes from time Chivu made the points safe when he was given time and space to hit a drive from distance in off the post.
That allowed Mourinho to use his substitutes to ensure as many players as possible got some rest ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Barcelona, where his team defend a 3-1 Champions League semi-final first-leg lead.
Early goals from Cesare Bovo and Abel Hernandez put Palermo in the driving seat against AC Milan.
Clarence Seedorf pulled a goal back early in the second period, but Fabrizio Miccoli completed the victory 21 minutes from time.
Palermo went fourth with the win, while Milan can longer win the title.
They can match Inter’s points total if they win their last three games, but their title hopes have disappeared because of their inferior head-to-head record.
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