Troubled Inter earned only their third league win of the season yesterday as they beat Cagliari 2-1 at the San Siro while Lazio went top with a 0-0 draw at Napoli.
Udinese can return to the summit if they match or better Lazio’s result away to Parma while Juventus, who will host Palermo, could also claim the Serie A lead if they win.
Milan failed to make the most of Lazio’s slip as they were held to a 0-0 draw at Fiorentina, leaving them a point behind the Romans.
Inter’s win left the 2010 Champions League winners still down in 16th position ahead of today’s games and only three points above the relegation zone.
Thiago Motta scored a controversial opener before Coutinho secured the points although Joaquin Larrivey scored a late goal for the visitors to give Inter some nervy moments at the death.
The victory was crucial for Claudio Ranieri’s players who have struggled at the bottom of the table all season.
Inter twice hit the woodwork in the first half when Cagliari goalkeeper Michael Agazzi tipped efforts from Giampaolo Pazzini and Mauro Zarate onto the bar.
Inter broke the deadlock nine minutes into the second half after Ricardo Alvarez, who had rep-laced Zarate at the break, swung over a free-kick from the left which Pazzini flicked on for Motta to bundle home, although he was both offside and seemed to handle the ball.
Coutinho finished off a swift attacking move with a daisy cutter from 17 yards that crept just inside the near post.
Cagliari had a goal from Larrivey ruled out for offside and Davide Ballardini, the Sardinians’ third coach already this season, felt the decisions that went against his side were symptomatic of supposed favouritism towards the big teams.
“At the San Siro the one consistency is that certain clear situations become shrouded in doubt and when there is doubt the refereeing decisions favour the strongest,” he said.
Larrivey was well onside a minute from time, though, when he turned home Radja Nainggolan’s shot from the left.
Lazio needed a backs-to-the-wall effort at times to hold on to a point in Naples.
Napoli’s best chance of the opening period saw Hugo Campagnaro head Ezequiel Lavezzi’s free-kick over the bar.
Lavezzi was Lazio’s tormentor in chief after the restart as his curled effort forced a diving save from Federico Marchetti.
From the resulting corner Lavezzi was left totally unmarked at the back post but his acrobatic volley flew over.
Marchetti also made an instinctive block to stop Edinson Cavani’s left-foot volley and in injury time plunged to his left to keep out Lavezzi’s strike.
The champions dominated in Florence but their run of five straight league wins still came to an end.
Milan did have the ball in the net in the first half but Clarence Seedorf’s close range volley from Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s dink was controversially ruled out for offside.
Alberto Aquilani headed Robinho’s cross just over for the visitors while Alberto Gilardino blazed Fiorentina’s best chance well over on the volley.
Pato almost snatched victory for Milan on his return from injury as a substitute but Artur Boruc tipped his low shot onto the post.
Results
Serie A
Inter 2
Motta 54; Coutinho 60;
Cagliari 1
Larrivey 89;
HT: 0-0. Att: 45,289.
Fiorentina 0
Milan 0
Att: 33,295.
Napoli 0
Lazio 0
Att: 35,000.
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Lazio | 11 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 16 | 8 | 22 |
| Milan | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 23 | 14 | 21 |
| Udinese | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 4 | 21 |
| Juventus | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 7 | 19 |
| Palermo | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 11 | 16 |
| Napoli | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 7 | 15 |
| Roma | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 11 | 14 |
| Catania | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 12 | 16 | 14 |
| Siena | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 8 | 13 |
| Fiorentina | 11 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 13 |
| Cagliari | 11 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 12 | 13 |
| Atalanta (-6) | 10 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 12 | 12 |
| Genoa | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 12 | 12 |
| Chievo | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 12 |
| Parma | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 12 |
| Inter | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 17 | 11 |
| Bologna | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 16 | 10 |
| Lecce | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 16 | 8 |
| Novara | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 19 | 7 |
| Cesena | 10 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 13 | 3 |
Playing today – 15.00
Bologna vs Cesena - 12.30
Catania vs Chievo
Genoa vs Novara
Juventus vs Palermo
Parma vs Udinese
Roma vs Lecce - 20.45
Siena vs Atalanta
Top scorers
8 goals: Di Natale (Udinese).
7 goals: Denis (Atalanta).
6 goals: Giovinco (Parma), Klose (Lazio).
5 goals: Palacio (Genoa), Jovetic (Fiorentina), Calaio (Siena), Osvaldo (Roma), Ibrahimovic (Milan).
Next fixtures
Friday: 20.45 Udinese vs Roma.
Saturday: 18.00 Lecce vs Catania. 20.45 Novara vs Parma.
Sunday: 15.00 Cagliari vs Bologna; Cesena vs Genoa; Lazio vs Juventus; Palermo vs Fiorentina; Siena vs Inter. 20.45 Milan vs Chievo.
Serie B
Ascoli 0 - Cittadella 1
Bari 1 - Sampdoria 1
Crotone 0 - Torino 0
Empoli 1 - Verona 3
Juve Stabia 2 - Modena 2
Nocerina 2 - Vicenza 2
Padova 0 - Grosseto 1
Pescara 2 - Gubbio 1
Sassuolo 1 - Brescia 1
Varese 0 - Cittadella 1
Tomorrow
AlbinoLeffe vs Reggina - 20.45
Standings: Torino 35; Pescara, Sassuolo 32; Padova, Verona 28; Reggina 27; Samp-doria, Grosseto 23; Varese 22; Cittadella 21; Livorno, Bari (-2) 20; Juve Stabia (-4), Brescia 18; Crotone (-1), Vicenza 17; Em-poli, AlbinoLeffe, Modena 15; Gubbio 14; Nocerina 13; Ascoli (-10) 5.