Lautaro Martinez and Nicolo Barella found the back of the net as Inter Milan defeated Salernitana at the Giuseppe Meazza.
Inter Milan put in a solid display as they dispatched Salernitana 2-0 at the Giuseppe Meazza in the early kick-off in Serie A on Sunday.
The Nerazzurri put in a solid performance against Barcelona midweek and did not let their exertions from Camp Nou impact their gameplay. Lautaro Martinez has a good record against Salernitana and opened the scoring in the 13th minute.
Inter Milan enjoyed possession and were fairly comfortable in the game. Nicolo Barella doubled the scoreline in the 58th minute to give the home side a comfortable cushion. The visitors did threaten on a couple of counters but never looked close to securing a result.
It was a fairly comfortable win for a side that has struggled in Serie A this season. The win takes Inter to 18 points from their first ten games in Serie A. Whether this will prove to be the catalyst to them turning around the season remains to be seen. The Hard Tackle takes a look at how the Inter Milan players fared on the night.
5 – The Nerazzurri's starting XI average age today is 29 years and 61 days: Inter collected the most times (5) in the Serie A 22/23 a starting XI average age with more than 29 years old. Experience.
— OptaPaolo 🏆 (@OptaPaolo) October 16, 2022
Andre Onana: 7/10
The Cameroonian goalkeeper did not have much to do but was alert when needed. Onana saved from Krzysztof Piatek in the first half and reacted smartly to keep Boulaye Dia at bay in the second 45 minutes. His distribution was also good, and it was a comfortable outing for the new Inter number one.
Milan Skriniar: 6/10
The Slovak was comfortable on Sunday and had fairly little to do. Piatek and Dia did cause some problems, but it was not enough to cause chaos in the Inter defence.
Stefan de Vrij: 6/10
The Dutch veteran was solid and largely kept things simple at the back. He communicated well with Skriniar and Francesco Acerbi and held the line well whenever the Salernitana attack threatened.
Francesco Acerbi: 6/10
The 34-year-old struggled at times due to his lack of pace but made up for it with good positioning. He communicated well with the players around him and did not take any undue risks.
Denzel Dumfries: 7/10
The Dutch wing-back was electric and got forward regularly. He also linked up well with Nicolo Barella and caused the Salernitana defence concerns on several occasions. Dumfries made a peach of a pass to Lautaro Martinez in the 44th minute, but the striker failed to score despite having two bites of the cherry.
Nicolo Barella: 8/10
The Italian international continued his good form and was an active presence in the middle of the park. He linked up well with Dumfries and provided the assist for Martinez’s opener. He showed good control to latch onto Hakan Calhanoglu’s pass to net Inter’s second goal and give them a comfortable cushion. The Nerazzurri will hope that Barella continues his fine form as they seek to turn the season around.
Nicolo Barella's game by numbers vs. Salernitana:
100% take-on success
100% long ball accuracy
92% pass accuracy
69 touches
6x possession won
5 final third entries
4 crosses
4 duels won
2 chances created
1 shot
1 goal
1 assist— Squawka (@Squawka) October 16, 2022
Hakan Calhanoglu: 7/10
The Turkish international started at the base of the midfield and made use of his excellent passing range to craft opportunities. He provided a peach of a cross that Martinez could only head over in the 52nd minute. Calhanoglu was rewarded for his efforts with an assist when Barella took down his pass to slot home in the 58th minute. He was taken off for Matteo Darmian in the 89th minute.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan: 6/10
Mkhitaryan did not reach the same level as those around him but kept the ball ticking. He was taken off for Kristjan Asllani in the 72nd minute as Inzaghi sought to bring on fresh legs.
Federico Dimarco: 7/10
The Italian defender enjoyed much joy on the flank and got forward whenever possible. He also threatened from set pieces and was taken off for Robin Gosens in the 63rd minute after picking up a knock.
Edin Dzeko: 6/10
The veteran held the ball up front and had a couple of chances to find the back of the net. Dzeko looked slightly tired but impressed and also linked up well with Martinez. He was taken off for Joaquin Correa in the 63rd minute.
Lautaro Martinez: 8/10
62 – Lautaro Martínez (145 apps) has scored his goal number 62 in Serie A, equalling Diego Milito (128 apps) at the 13th place of the Nerazzurri scorers ranking in the top-flight. Tango.#InterSalernitana pic.twitter.com/6B6uspGWM9
— OptaPaolo 🏆 (@OptaPaolo) October 16, 2022
The Argentine scored a hat-trick in the corresponding fixture last season and could have done the same on Sunday as well had he been more clinical. Martinez opened the scoring in the 13th minute and was a constant menace. With two goals in two games, the 24-year-old is finding a purple patch of form at just the right time.
SUBSTITUTES
Robin Gosens: 6/10
Gosens replaced Dimarco, who had picked up a knock, and put in a decent shift on the left flank.
Kristjan Asllani: 6/10
Asllani replaced Mkhitaryan in the 63rd minute and brought some fresh legs in the latter stages of the game.
Joaquin Correa: 6/10
The Argentine attacker returned from injury and had a late opportunity to make the score 3-0.
Matteo Darmian: N/A
Darmian came on for Calhanoglu in the 89th minute as Inter saw the game out.
Raoul Bellanova: N/A
Inter’s last substitution of the night, he had little time to make an impact.
