Inter Milan Cements Lead in Serie A with Slim Victory over Juventus in Derby d'Italia

Inter Milan secured a slim 1-0 win over Juventus in the Derby d'Italia, widening their lead at the top of the Serie A table by four points.

The determining goal came about in the final ten minutes of the first half when Juventus defender, Federico Gatti, unintentionally deflected the ball into his team's net. Gatti, 25, tried to offset his earlier mistake with a powerful shot that missed the mark in the second half, much to the relief of the home fans in the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.

Simone Inzaghi's crew staunchly clung onto their lead to claim three vital points against their championship competitors. They handed Juventus their second Serie A season's loss.

Inter, the home team, took the offensive stance in the initial 20 minutes against a solid Juventus side. The first significant opportunity came in the 18th minute when Benjamin Pavard found Federico Dimarco at the far post, but the left-back's volley hit the side netting.

Despite few clear chances in a cautious first half, Inter's persistence was rewarded in the 37th minute when Gatti unintentionally deflected Nicolo Barella's clipped cross into his own goal. Pavard's overhead kick failed to connect with Barella's delivery, eventually bouncing off Gatti's stomach into the net.

After maintaining a thin leading edge at halftime, Inter put in an energetic performance in the second half with Dimarco and Hakan Calhanoglu launching unsuccessful shots. As the match passed the hour mark, Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri decided to deploy substitutes Timothy Weah and Federico Chiesa.

Weah nearly made an immediate impact, setting up Gatti for a shot that narrowly missed Yann Sommer's goal. On the opposite side, Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny had to make a brilliant save to deflect Barella's powerful volley.

Szczesny was once again called upon to make an incredible save, denying substitute Marko Arnautovic's close-range shot. Despite his efforts, the Juventus side could not find an equalizer against an Inter side that has only conceded ten league goals this season.

With their first league loss since September, second-placed Juventus trails the leading Inter side by four points, with Inter also having a game in hand. The Nerazzurri will now shift their focus to an away game with Roma, while Juventus will aim to revive their Scudetto ambitions against Udinese.