To paraphrase one of the most famous scenes in The Godfather’s trilogy, just when we thought they were out, they pull themselves back in.

In the space of five days Inter Milan went from staring down the barrel of a six-point deficit to move within a point of league leaders Napoli. Like all great teams – and the Nerazzurri are one of the finest teams Serie A has seen in some time – they simply refuse to wilt in the face of adversity.

There was nothing easy nor particularly pretty about Inter’s 2-1 win over Fiorentina on Monday night, but it marked a significant momentum shift in the race for the Scudetto. The title race is back on. Perhaps, more to the point, it was never off to begin with.

Ten days ago, Napoli were within seconds of opening up a five-point gap over Inter at the top of the table, only to concede a late equaliser at the Stadio Olimpico against Roma just hours after Stefan de Vrji’s 93rd minute goal had rescued a point for the Nerazzurri in the Derby della Madonnina.

On Sunday, the Partenopei had another chance to stamp their authority on the title race. With Inter trounced 3-0 by Fiorentina on Thursday night as they resumed the fixture that was interrupted after 16 minutes on December 1 when Edoardo Bove collapsed on the Artemio Franchi turf, a win over Udinese would have put Napoli six points clear at the top of the table.

Again, Napoli fluffed their lines, leaving the door ajar for Inter.

The Nerazzurri didn’t need a second invitation and exacted revenge over Fiorentina, closing the gap to one point and wrestling back momentum. Atalanta, who looked out of the race two weeks ago, are back within five points of Napoli.

“It wasn’t an easy game, but we got the job done,” Simone Inzaghi said.

“I’ve blocked out the noise and focused on getting the team ready. The players showed great character and fought hard. We were punished for our mistakes against Fiorentina, but we’ve responded well.”

Marko Arnautovic was the unlikely hero, the Austrian coming off the bench to replace the injured Marcus Thuram before heading in the winner early in the second half after Rolando Mandragora’s penalty had cancelled out Marin Pongracic’s own goal.

If the nature of the match-winner was unexpected – Arnautovic was yet to open his Serie A account for the season until Monday night – the manner through which Inter went ahead suggested the stars may be aligning in their favour.

The corner from which the Nerazzurri opened the scoring should never have been awarded as the ball had crossed the byline before Alessandro Bastoni’s attempted cross was deflected out.

Having got the rub of the green with the decision, Inter then got lucky again as Lautaro Martinez’s header took a deflection off Pongracic’s face to beat David de Gea. As the old adage goes, you make your own luck.

“This was a real test of character, strength, and expertise,” Arrigo Sacchi told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Inter have matured significantly and can now navigate through tough times. This is a huge advantage in such a competitive league.”

The win over Fiorentina leaves Inter a point behind Napoli, who remain in control of their own destiny but have faltered slightly over the past two weeks with draws against Roma and Udinese checking their momentum after seven consecutive wins.

Napoli have never gone three games without a win this season, but a trip to the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday against a resurgent Lazio is sure to test that particular record.

Along with Atalanta, the Biancocelesti are the only team to beat the Partenopei in Naples this season and have won three of their last four fixtures in Serie A after winning just once in the previous five, a run which included a 6-0 thrashing against Inter and a 2-0 defeat in the Derby della Capitale.

The silver lining for Napoli is that Inter’s calendar is just as demanding, with the Nerazzurri facing Juventus in the Derby d’Italia in Turin on Sunday night, before hosting Genoa the following weekend, when the Azzurri travel to Como.

Beyond that, a potential title decider at the Maradona looms large on March 2.

Conte has repeatedly refuted the tag of Scudetto favourites this season, and after the draw with Udinese he again insisted the mere fact Napoli were competing with Inter at this stage of the season was remarkable.

“We shouldn’t lose sight of reality,” he said.

“This team is doing something special. This is our ninth unbeaten game in a row.”

The numbers agree with him. Napoli have 19 points more than at the same stage last season, when they were ninth in Serie A with 10 wins, eight losses and six draws to their name.

The Azzurri have lost just three times this term, with four draws and 17 wins at an average of 2.3 points per game compared with 1.5 a year ago. Napoli have scored six more goals this season – 39 to 33 – and conceded 11 fewer – 17 to 28 – while Inter have already conceded 24 goals, twice as many as they had at this stage last season.

The Beneamata have scored more goals – 58 to 55 – but have nine points fewer than 12 months ago and their points per game average has dropped from 2.6 to 2.2, with 16 wins, six draws and two defeats compared to 19 wins, three draws and one defeat last term.

Inter’s numbers are slightly worse compared and the dynamic has shifted significantly. Last season, the Nerazzurri spent 31 weeks out of 38 alone at the top of Serie A, but they have only led the league once this term and never alone as they shared first place with Juventus, Udinese and Torino after three matches.

The fact Napoli can focus solely on the Scudetto while Inter are still fighting on three fronts may play into their hands, but such are the fine margins of this title race that nothing can be taken for granted.

“It’s too close to call,” Sacchi continued. “I want to enjoy every moment of this race. I think March will be the decisive month.”