Fredy Guarin scoring Inter’s goal against Milan, last night.A second-half goal from Fredy Guarin saw Inter edge city rivals Milan last night to pick up a third consecutive win and go clear at the top of Serie A.
The Colombian midfielder broke the deadlock in the 58th minute with a left-footed shot that beat Milan goalkeeper Diego Lopez.
Mario Balotelli, playing in his first league game since returning to Milan on loan from Liverpool, entered the action four minutes later and almost equalised in the 78th minute.
The Italian striker drilled a bullet strike from 25 yards that rattled the left-hand post.
Inter held on to earn victory in the first San Siro showdown of the season.
The win sees Inter, who were hosting the game, move two points clear at the top of the table – a position they had not held alone for five years.
Milan, meanwhile, slipped to a second defeat of the season to drop to 12th place.
Yesterday, Inter coach Roberto Mancini handed new signings Ivan Perisic and Felipe Melo starting debuts.
Stevan Jovetic, who had scored all three of Inter’s goals this season going into the game, partnered Mauro Icardi in attack, with the Argentinian returning from a hamstring injury.
Inter almost went ahead 10 minutes after the restart but Guarin’s header from Perisic’s cross was pushed over the crossbar by Lopez.
The Milan goalkeeper could do nothing as Inter went in front three minutes later.
Davide Santon fed Guarin just outside the area and he drilled a left-footed shot towards the near post and out of the reach of Lopez.
Earlier, Atalanta forward Mauricio Pinilla scored two goals, the first with one of his trademark bicycle kicks, only to get sent off in a pulsating 2-2 draw at Sassuolo in which both teams missed penalties.
The afternoon’s three other Serie A matches also ended 2-2, with Carpi denied a first-ever top flight win after conceding a late goal at Palermo and Napoli still winless this season after being held at Empoli.
Sassuolo forward Nicola Sansone saw an early penalty saved by Marco Sportiello and Pinilla quickly made them pay.
A cross was floated over from the left and the Chile forward quickly got into position and met it with a perfectly executed overhead kick from 12 metres.
Francesco Magnanelli equalised with a 35-metre rocket, Pinilla pounced on a dreadful back pass to put Atalanta back in front and Antonio Floro Flores made it 2-2 with a spectacular half-volley, all before half-time.
The drama continued as Pinilla was dismissed early in the second half for a reckless and pointless sliding tackle, then Sassuolo’s Sime Vrsaljko was sent off and conceded a penalty for a clumsy challenge.
Atalanta forward Maxi Moralez saw his effort saved by Andrea Consigli.
Napoli, who have only two points from three games, twice came from behind for a 2-2 draw at Empoli with Lorenzo Insigne and Allan scoring to cancel out goals by Riccardo Saponara and Manuel Pucciarelli.
Serie A debutants Carpi led 2-1 at Palermo until Uros Djurdjevic headed home with two minutes left for the Sicilians, although the visitors still took home their first Serie A point.
Former Milan, Roma and Juventus forward Marco Borriello had given Carpi the lead with his first goal for the club.
The 38-year-old Luca Toni, who was joint top-scorer last season with 22 goals, scored his first this term when he converted a penalty in Verona’s draw at home to Torino.
In the 6pm kick-off, two second-half goals from substitute Alessandro Matri saw Lazio beat a resilient Udinese 2-0 in Rome to pick up their second win of their Serie A season.
Udinese tested Lazio goalkeeper Federico Marchetti on four occasions in the second half but failed to find the back of the net for a second straight game to lose for the second time this campaign.
Results
Serie A
Empoli 2
Saponara 3; Pucciarelli 18;
Napoli 2
Insigne 7; Allan 50;
HT: 2-1. Att: 10,000.
Inter 1
Guarin 58;
Milan 0
HT: 0-0. Att: 79,154.
Lazio 2
Matri 64, 73;
Udinese 0
HT: 0-0. Att: 27,000.
Palermo 2
Hiljemark 6; Djurdjevic 88;
Carpi 2
Vitiello 24og; Borriello 63;
HT: 1-1. Att: 20,250.
Sampdoria p
Bologna p
(postponed for today at 20.45)
Sassuolo 2
Magnanelli 22; Floro Flores 40;
Atalanta 2
Pinilla 13, 33;
HT: 2-2. Att: 8,000.
Missed penalties: Sansone (S) 6; Moralez (A) 86.
Red cards: Pinilla (A) 48; Vrsaljko (S) 84.
Verona 2
Toni 49 pen; Gomez 71;
Torino 2
Baselli 66; Acquah 73;
HT: 0-0. Att: 17,868.
Standings
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Inter | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 9 |
| Chievo | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 7 |
| Torino | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 7 |
| Roma | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| Sassuolo | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| Palermo | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 7 |
| Fiorentina | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 6 |
| Lazio | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Sampdoria | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 4 |
| Atalanta | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Genoa | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Milan | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Udinese | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Napoli | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 |
| Verona | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| Juventus | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| Empoli | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 1 |
| Carpi | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 1 |
| Bologna | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Frosinone | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
Top scorers
4 goals: Eder (Sampdoria).
3 goals: Saponara (Empoli)Paloschi (Chievo), Jovetic (Inter), Baselli (Torino).
Next fixtures
Saturday: 18.00 Udinese vs Empoli; 20.45 Milan vs Palermo.
Sunday: 12.30 Chievo vs Inter. 15.00 Atalanta vs Verona; Bologna vs Frosinone; Genoa vs Juventus; Roma vs Sassuolo; Torino vs Sampdoria; 18.00 Carpi vs Fiorentina. 20.45 Napoli vs Lazio.
Serie B
Spezia vs Pro Vercelli - 1-1
Playing today
Latina vs Trapani - 20.30
Standings: Livorno 6; Cagliari, Salernitana, Bari, Pro Vercelli, Vicenza 4; Trapani, Cesena, Perugia, Lanciano, Entella, Avellino, Crotone, Pescara 3; Latina, Spezia, Brescia, Ternana 1; Ascoli, Como, Modena, Novara (-2) -1.