Inter Milan swept past Parma 3-0 at San Siro, turning a brisk opening half-hour into a comfortable night for the defending champions and sending them provisionally three points clear at the summit.
Cristian Chivu’s side were able to rotate without losing control, with Lautaro Martínez, Nicolò Barella, Alessandro Bastoni and Manuel Akanji initially left out. Parma arrived in Milan under new coach Alberto Gilardino, taking over from Carlos Cuesta, but the visitors were undone by costly errors before Inter’s attacking quality settled the contest.
Inter punish Parma’s early mistakes
Federico Dimarco had the first clear chance, only for Parma goalkeeper Edoardo Corvi to block his close-range volley. Parma did offer brief reminders of their threat through El Bilal Touré, whose first effort was held by Josep Martínez before another curling attempt drifted narrowly wide.
Those moments did not alter the direction of the evening. Parma handed Inter the breakthrough before the 15-minute mark when Corvi played a pass towards Mandela Keita near his own area. Petar Sučić pressed aggressively, won possession and drove a powerful finish beyond the goalkeeper. The Croatian was later named man of the match.
Inter soon doubled their advantage. Diego Carlos caught Francesco Pio Esposito in the penalty area, and the referee pointed to the spot after checking the incident on VAR. Hakan Çalhanoğlu, making his return after a month out with a muscle injury, converted in the 19th minute.
The third goal arrived around the half-hour as Henrikh Mkhitaryan released Marcus Thuram into space. The French forward surged down the right before placing a measured shot across Corvi to complete a decisive early spell.
A quiet second half at San Siro
With the score already beyond Parma, Inter continued to command possession and still created opportunities to add further goals. Josep Martínez had little to do, with Parma unable to make their limited attacking forays count.
Chivu used the second half to bring on Lautaro Martínez after the hour, while Djed Spence was also introduced for his Inter debut. The England international had been unable to feature since joining from Tottenham because he was not yet at the required physical level.
Lautaro looked for a goal after entering the match but did not find one. Inter nevertheless had more than enough, leaving Parma behind in Milan and waiting to see whether Roma can respond when they travel to Cesc Fàbregas’ Como.
