rewrite this title Inter Milan 2-1 Fiorentina: Italian champions move within one point of leaders Napoli

Inter Milan secured a crucial 2-1 victory over Fiorentina at the San Siro, moving them within one point of Serie A leaders Napoli.

Marko Arnautovic’s second-half header sealed the win for Simone Inzaghi’s men, who avenged their 3-0 defeat to the same opposition just four days earlier.

Inter started looking to make amends for their recent setback in Florence. Wing-back Carlos Augusto and captain Lautaro Martinez both came close to opening the scoring, striking the woodwork in the early stages.

Their persistence paid off in the 28th minute when a corner from Hakan Calhanoglu led to an own goal by Fiorentina centre-back Marin Pongracic, giving Inter a deserved lead.

Fiorentina struggled to gain a foothold in the game but were handed a lifeline just before the break. A header from Robin Gosens struck the arm of Matteo Darmian inside the box, leading to a VAR review and a penalty for the visitors.

Rolando Mandragora stepped up and confidently dispatched the spot-kick past Yann Sommer, levelling the score at 1-1 before half-time.

Monday night da 3️⃣ punti 🖤💙

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— Inter ⭐⭐ (@Inter) February 10, 2025

Inter wasted little time reasserting their dominance in the second half, and it was substitute Marko Arnautovic who made the difference. The Austrian, who had replaced Marcus Thuram in the first half due to injury, rose highest in the 52nd minute to nod home a precise cross from Augusto, restoring Inter’s lead.

From that moment on, Inzaghi’s side controlled proceedings, restricting Fiorentina to limited opportunities.

Despite some late pressure from the visitors, including a long-range effort from Piotr Zielinski that forced a save from David De Gea, Inter held firm to claim all three points.

The victory sees Inter move up to 54 points, just one behind Napoli, keeping them firmly in the title race

. They now prepare for a crucial clash against fifth-placed Juventus on Sunday. Fiorentina, who remain sixth with 42 points, will look to bounce back when they host 16th-placed Como on the same day.