MILAN: Inter Milan cruised to a 4-0 home win against Atalanta in Serie A on Wednesday, extending their lead at the top of the standings to 12 points as they edge closer to a 20th league title.

Inter, who have won all eight of their league games in 2024, are on 69 points from 26 games, comfortably ahead of second-placed Juventus with 57 and rivals AC Milan in third on 53.

“It’s nice at the moment, but we know that it was in the past month that we’ve gained these 12 points to move ahead,” coach Simone Inzaghi told a press conference. “We have to stay focused.”

Defender Matteo Darmian put Inter in front in the 26th minute with a low strike from the edge of the box before Lautaro Martinez doubled the advantage in first-half stoppage time, firing a powerful shot inside the left post.

Federico Dimarco added a third for Inter in the 54th minute, netting on the follow-up after Atalanta keeper Marco Carnesecchi saved a penalty from Martinez, and Davide Frattesi nodded home an Alexis Sanchez free kick to seal the win.

“In the second half I didn’t even see it that bad,” said Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini.

“Then we made a lot of changes and it became more of a training session than a match, it degenerated. The third goal I don’t think it was a Serie A match.”

Atalanta, who next week host Portuguese side Sporting in the Europa League last 16, are fifth with 46 points, two adrift of fourth-placed Bologna.

In Wednesday’s other mat­ch, clinical Victor Osimhen scored a hat-trick before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia bagged a brace of his own as Napoli come from behind to win their game in hand 6-1 and reignite hopes of European football.

After Amir Rrahmani levelled just before the half-hour mark, Osimhen rattled in his treble across 16 minutes either side of half-time to take his goal tally since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations to five in three matches in all competitions.

And Kvaratskhelia, who rolled Osimhen in for his simple third, belted in two fabulous strikes in the 51st and 75th minutes against a dreadful Sassuolo.

“We already knew that Osimhen was a great player, we missed him a lot. When you’ve got Osi in this kind of form everything is easier,” said Matteo Politano, who set up two of Osimhen’s goals, to DAZN.

Napoli are still ninth but four points behind AS Roma, who sit sixth and in the Europa Conference League spot, after just their third league win of 2024.

Sassuolo, playing for the first time under Emiliano Bigica following Alessio Dionisi’s sacking on Sunday, drop down into the relegation zone following a sixth defeat in seven matches.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2024