Inter ended up six points clear at the top of the Serie A last night after the Italian champions beat Napoli 2-1 and rivals Milan were humbled 3-1 at mid-table Palermo.

The champions, who beat Juventus in their previous outing thanks to Sulley Muntari's goal, went 2-0 up through Ivan Cordoba and the Ghanaian but were forced to hang on after Ezequiel Lavezzi pulled one back on 36 minutes.

Jose Mourinho's side lost 1-0 at home to Panathinaikos in the Champions League in midweek but continue to grind out results in Serie A despite their inconsistency.

Inter have 33 points from 14 games with Milan on 27 alongside Juventus, who hammered lowly Reggina 4-0 in a snowy Turin on Saturday.

"At 1-0 the game seemed over as we were playing so well but you can never say that in football," Mourinho told Sky. "In the second half I don't remember them having a real chance."

In Sicily last night, striker Fabrizio Miccoli fired in a superb goal on 50 minutes before Edinson Cavani and Simplicio sealed Palermo's victory.

Ronaldinho, who had a spotkick saved at 0-0, netted a late penalty for the shell-shocked visitors.

Last term's runners-up Roma, who had a terrible start, recorded a third straight league win after Francesco Totti netted in the second half to secure a 1-0 victory over Fiorentina.

Adrian Mutu, who almost joined Roma in the close season, went close with a free-kick and a header for the visitors but they remain joint fifth with Lazio, who went down 2-0 in soggy Bergamo against mid-table Atalanta.

Early-season pacesetters Udinese, who had top striker Antonio Di Natale sent off, lost their fourth league game in a row when a late Felipe own goal gave bottom side Chievo a 1-0 away win and ended a six-game losing streak.

At the other end, Cordoba settled the San Siro nerves with a superb finish for a defender following Muntari's cross on 16 minutes.

Inter were on top and made fourth-placed Napoli suffer when Muntari turned in Maicon's cross after Julio Cruz's backheel.

The visitors refused to lie down however and were soon back in the hunt when talisman Lavezzi dinked home following another perfect backheel from strike partner Marcelo Zalayeta.

Napoli had much of the play in the second half and the hosts were fortunate when Argentina's Lavezzi was booked for diving in the box in the second half despite replays showing contact between the forward and Maxwell.