Inter tightened their hold on the Serie A title race with a 2-0 win over Como, stretching their impressive run against Cesc Fabregas’ team. Francesco Pio Esposito and Marcus Thuram found the net to bring Como back to reality following their astonishing 9-1 Champions League triumph over RC Lens.
The Nerazzurri were eager to bounce back after losing their first Serie A match of the season to Milan in the Derby della Madonnina. They had regained confidence with a 3-0 victory over Feyenoord in midweek, while Como arrived at San Siro having won six straight matches across all competitions.
Lautaro Martinez and Luis Henrique were still unavailable for Inter, though John Stones and Curtis Jones returned to the bench after several weeks out. Como made the trip without Moise Kean, Trevoh Chalobah, Assane Diao, Jesus Rodriguez, and Jayden Addai.
Inter takes control against Como with Esposito opener
Inter broke the deadlock after Federico Dimarco dispossessed Lucas Da Cunha and started a counter-attack. Marcus Thuram then produced a cleverly disguised pass to send Djed Spence down the right, allowing him to deliver the ball across the box for Francesco Pio Esposito to tap home from close range.
The hosts nearly doubled their advantage moments later. Nicolò Barella delivered a cross that Thuram glanced with his head, but the touch distracted Dimarco, who failed to make proper contact with his attempted finish.
Inter eventually found their second goal through another attack involving Dimarco. The wing-back sent Piotr Zielinski down the left, and his low delivery was intercepted poorly by Alex Valle. The defender’s attempted clearance became an accidental assist for Thuram, who finished from six yards at the near post.
Como struggled to create clear opportunities for much of the match. Robert Sanchez had to get down to push Carlos Augusto’s low effort around the post, while Dimarco also tested the goalkeeper after the break following another Barella pass.
Marcus Thuram seals Inter’s victory as Como hits the woodwork
Inter continued to threaten after the interval. Dimarco saw a volley deflected wide after Thuram laid the ball back from a Barella cross, while Thuram himself came close with an angled effort that narrowly missed the far post after combining with Spence.
Como finally forced Josep Martinez into action in the 63rd minute. The Inter goalkeeper reacted well to Nico Paz’s effort, which bounced in front of him, before Jacobo Ramon failed to generate enough power with a header from a Bruno Kaiki cross.
Paz came closest to giving Como a way back into the contest in the 84th minute. He met Marc-Oliver Kempf’s pull-back with a first-time shot from around 15 yards, but the effort struck the frame of the goal.
The result extended Inter’s extraordinary record against Como to 12 consecutive Serie A victories. Fabregas has yet to find a way past Chivu’s side, making the Nerazzurri the major opponent his team has still been unable to overcome.