Inter ease past Lecce to secure place at Serie A summit

As expected, Inter started the game on the front foot, with Marko Arnautovic and Bisseck both having early chances on the visitors’ goal.

Lecce did have their own opportunities on the counter as Joan Gonzalez tried to test Yann Sommer, with the Swiss stopper parring the shot to safety.

The hosts nearly netted the opener when Marcus Thuram and Barella played a neat one-two in a tight space on the edge of the Lecce box, with Barella quick to slide the ball through to Arnautovic, who looked certain to score, but the Austrian mistimed his shot and sliced it past the near post.

The hosts continued to have a large share of possession, but in general, the game slowed down as Simone Inzaghi’s men went to work on breaking down Lecce. That control was soon rewarded as Hakan Calhanoglu whipped a free-kick from the left wing into the box where Bisseck was waiting, allowing the German to atone for his earlier miss, flicking the ball into the far right of Wladimiro Falcone’s goal to give Inter the lead.

Inter came out with the same energy and control in the second half as they searched for that decisive second goal. They were given an early scare as referee Matteo Marcenaro pointed to the spot after he thought the ball had hit Carlos Augusto’s arm, but a short VAR check saw the decision overturned.

Lupi tried to be more progressive after the interval, although that period of positivity didn’t last long as Inter found their attacking groove again and had a number of corners that were causing Lecce issues.

With the end in sight, Inter finally got their second when Arnautovic received the ball on the edge of the box, backheeling the ball into Barella's path before the latter toyed with Falcone and placed his effort into the bottom-left corner of the goal.

Things went from bad to worse for the visitors as Lameck Banda was sent off for dissent late on. Despite their best efforts, Lecce were unable to find a way back into the contest as they tasted defeat for the first time in six league outings (W1, D4).

Meanwhile, Inzaghi’s men keep their stranglehold on top spot as they now have 12 clean sheets from their 14 league wins this season.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Yann Bisseck (Inter Milan)