Inter Milan climbed back to the top of Serie A on goal difference after edging Roma 1-0 at the Stadio Olimpico, extending their dominant head-to-head record to eight wins from the last ten meetings with the Giallorossi.
The visitors struck early through Ange-Yoan Bonny, who broke Roma’s offside trap to calmly slot past Mile Svilar just six minutes in. Lautaro Martínez, already booked for a rough challenge moments earlier, set the tone for a fiery contest that reflected its high stakes.
Bryan Cristante came close to restoring parity with a glancing header, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan missed a glorious chance to double Inter’s advantage at the other end.
Roma gradually settled but struggled to penetrate a compact Inter defense, with Evan Ndicka and later Paulo Dybala both denied as the hosts chased an equaliser.
Yann Sommer proved decisive, making key saves from Dybala and Mario Hermoso before substitute Artem Dovbyk squandered Roma’s best chance, heading wide from close range.
Inter, meanwhile, continued to look dangerous on the break, with Martínez and Denzel Dumfries both threatening to seal the result.
Mkhitaryan struck the post late on as Inter saw out a tense finale to claim their sixth consecutive victory in all competitions and move level on 15 points with Napoli and Roma.
AC Milan could reclaim top spot if they beat Fiorentina on Sunday, but for now, Simone Inzaghi’s men sit proudly atop the table.
For Roma, the defeat, their second in Serie A this season and second in three matches overall, leaves them searching for consistency as they aim to stay in touch with the league’s early pace-setters.
