Inter coach Simone Inzaghi believes his team will bounce back from their defeat in Bologna, but admits the Scudetto race is out of their hands.
Milan returned to the top of Serie A with a victory over Lazio on Sunday, and Inter responded positively on Wednesday when Ivan Perisic scored after only two minutes and 53 seconds at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara.
That was the Nerazzurri’s fastest league goal of the season, but Marko Arnautovic equalized against his former club with his 13th league goal of the season, his best tally in a single season in Europe’s top five leagues.
A costly Ionut Radu error was then punished by substitute Nicola Sansone with nine minutes remaining as Inter dropped ground in the Scudetto race, the 2-1 defeat leaving them two points behind Milan with four games left.
Milan also have a superior head-to-head record against their neighbours and Inzaghi acknowledged that the title destination is no longer in his team’s control.
“Now it is difficult but I know I have a team of great men who will do everything to end this championship well. Now we are no longer masters of our destiny,” he told reporters after the game.
While appreciating the dent to Inter’s title hopes after defeat at Bologna, who had previously not beaten Inter at home in 15 Serie A attempts, Inzaghi is refusing to give up hope.
“There are four games left, we have seen that it was a championship of surprises and games played to the end,” he added.
“There are still 12 points up for grabs and anything can happen.”
Inzaghi was quick to defend Radu for his mistake when failing to control Perisic’s pass that led to Sansone’s winner, in what was the goalkeeper’s first Serie A appearance of the season due to the injury of first-choice Samir Handanovic.
“There is disappointment as it is normal for there to be after a game lost in this way,” he told DAZN. “The mood was not the best, Radu made a mistake like I or a striker and a midfielder can.
“When a goalkeeper makes a mistake, everything is highlighted more. Now we have to react to a burning defeat, facing one game at a time knowing that we are no longer masters of our destiny.”
Inter will look to respond in their Scudetto push when they visit Udinese on Sunday.
