Head coach Simone Inzaghi said Inter’s desire to “win at any cost” against Napoli helped the Serie A leaders finish off their undefeated start.
Napoli had won 11 Serie A games in a row before the World Cup break, and they faced an 11-point lead against the hosts at Wednesday’s Inter and San Siro.
However, the outstanding performance of Inzaghi’s men was crowned by Edin Dzeko’s header in the 56th minute, and Inter racked up valuable points for their 20th Serie A title.
Inzaghi was pleased with his team’s performance after the match and cited their team’s determined mentality as the main reason for the 1-0 win.
“Inter was organized and wanted to win at any cost,” Inzaghi told reporters. “I have to congratulate the players on the field, they helped each other with haste and determination.
“I brought the joy of victory to dedicate this night to the fans.”
Inzaghi opted to start a front duo made up of Dzeko and Romelu Lukaku, before replacing the duo with Joaquin Correa and returning World Cup hero Lautaro Martinez one goal ahead.
The Inter head coach is a big fan of the options he has on offense and says: “There are four of them, I wish they were all available. I have some smart kids. By playing every three days, I will have the opportunity to change. IT.”
Inzaghi hoped the victory over Napoli would spur his team into action, which has now won three Serie A games in a row and is trying to close the eight-point lead to the top.
“We have to keep it that way,” Inzaghi told DAZN. “It’s a big boost of confidence tonight.
“I’m proud of my kids, it’s a pleasure to see them like this. We had a great game but we have to keep going like this.
“We lost points in the league at the beginning, but there is still a long way to go. [to go]. We have to think match by match.”
Napoli have scored a league-leading 37 goals this Serie A season, but were capped by Inter by just two shots on goal as names like Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratshelia remained silent.
At a post-match press conference, Partenopei head coach Luciano Spalletti lamented his team’s poor offensive performance at San Siro: “We were below all our offensive qualities.
“We can do more, both as the offensive department and how to prepare the offensive department for the important games. We distributed the ball well in some stretches, but we weren’t very sharp.
“We need more personality and strength, we have these qualities. I didn’t like that we were shy at certain moments.”