Inter Milan Produce Statement Performance as Lazio Suffer Biggest Ever Home Defeat

Lazio’s biggest home defeat on record was a 5-0 demolition by Fiorentina in 1959. 65 years later, Inter Milan went one better.

The Nerazzurri put Lazio to the sword in a remarkably ruthless and calculating fashion: six different scorers in a statement performance that could prove to be the turning point in the Scudetto race.

Marco Baroni’s men had been in excellent form going into the game. Seven wins from 10 since the beginning of November and top of the Europa League table meant there was every chance they could put a dent in Inter’s title hopes.

And for 40-odd minutes, things were going to plan. 

Once Hakan Calhanoglu rifled home a penalty four minutes before half-time, though, everything fell apart. Federico Dimarco, Nicolo Barella, Denzel Dumfries, Carlos Augusto and Marcus Thuram all joined the party, each of the goals offering something for everyone.

Dimarco’s effort showcased his exquisite technique; Dumfries’ demonstrated great wing-back play; Barella’s thunderous volley was typical of him; Augusto’s was outrageous for a left wing-back, and Thuram’s was the kind of emphatic finish all strikers strive for.

Lazio, who hadn’t lost at home since March, were torn to shreds and simply had no answers. Incidentally, all of Lazio’s heaviest defeats have come against Inter, with this defeat following an 8-1 loss in 1934 and a 7-0 humiliation in 1961, both in Milan. 

To say this was a statement performance from Inter would be an understatement. The only other 6-0 away win in Serie A this season was Fiorentina’s against Lecce, yet there’s a world of difference between beating the struggling side from Puglia and a team in the top four by the same score line.

“The boys know that after we lost the derby against Milan, many people were waiting for us to stumble again, like against [Bayer] Leverkusen,” Inzaghi told DAZN post-game. “Many things have been said about us. But fortunately, like their coach, the boys don’t listen and work hard.”

Many had questioned whether Inzaghi’s Inter had already peaked in their run to the 2023 Champions League final. The Scudetto was won at a canter last season, but part of that was the lack of a consistent challenger, with all the big sides facing issues that blocked any credible title tilt. 

Inter’s Champions League exit at the hands of Atletico Madrid also seemed to magnify that. Inter had been much the better side over the course of the two legs but allowed a 2-0 aggregate lead to slip, and the eventual exit on penalties left a stain on their season.

Barring the arrivals of Mehdi Taremi and Piotr Zielinski, the squad is essentially the same as last season, and the likes of Barella, Dimarco, Lautaro Martinez, Dumfries and Calhanoglu all had another year on the clock.

The performance against Lazio dispelled those doubts. 

The title race now appears to be an exciting three-horse race between Inter, Atalanta and Napoli, with the trio beginning to break away from the rest of the pack. Inter are now just three points behind La Dea with a game in hand — with the postponed game against Fiorentina due to be played early in the new year. 

A win in Florence would put Inter level with Atalanta, and ramp up the pressure on Gian Piero Gasperini’s side.

Moreover, with games against Udinese, Como and Cagliari coming up during the Christmas run, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Inzaghi’s side return to the top of the table by the turn of the year. 

However, the games are piling up for both Atalanta and Inter, with the SuperCoppa Italiana in Saudi Arabia, followed by the resumption of the Champions League. This could play into Napoli’s hands going into spring.

Yet that’s all to come. For now, Inzaghi perhaps still doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. Unquestionably one of the top coaches in the world, the younger brother of Pippo has turned Inter into a different kind of beast since taking over. Of the top sides in the league, only Juventus have been spared a hiding at one point or another in his reign. 

Since replacing Antonio Conte, Inzaghi has demolished Milan 5-1, Fiorentina 4-0, Atalanta by the same score line (twice), and Roma and Napoli 3-0, in addition to last night’s result. Astonishing.

Inzaghi, who spent five years as Lazio manager and a man who still holds the Biancocelesti dear to his heart, didn’t have the best of records against his old side since becoming Inter boss. He’d lost two of the three previous meetings at the Stadio Olimpico, but is now two-for-two against his old team.

“We loved each other so much,” Inzaghi said of his relationship with Lazio. Funny way of showing it, one could argue.

Inter have set down the biggest of markers for the rest of the pack. Only time will tell how they respond.