Awaiting the Scudetto derby, Milan also won. At the Stadio Olimpico, Juventus come back against Roma: 3-3

With 11 days to go, the junction of junctions - next 8 March - is the Milan derby. A challenge that retains its fascination, even if the gap is ten points. A clear gap that, without resounding reversals, should reassure Inter, even if, as they well know, in derbies the unexpected is always just around the corner. In this round, everything went as expected: Inter, beating Genoa in ease, quickly filed away the bad thoughts about the elimination from the Champions League. It was not a foregone conclusion, because in the Nerazzurri's house, the exit from Europe can still become a dangerous raw nerve, as Chivu confirmed with his piquant declarations against the critics ("we are never given credit"). Sentences that were perhaps said more to recompose the ranks than out of true conviction. A bit like those of Leao, who in capopolo version says to his companions: 'The derby is a matter of life and death. I ask mine to take it personally'. Some Rossoneri manager had better point out to the good Leao that, especially at this time, it is not appropriate, for a football match, to bring up life and death.

On the subject of Milan, we are at the usual paradox: despite winning in Cremona, and firmly holding on to second place on 57 points (the same as Napoli had after 27 games in the last Scudetto), the Diavolo often gives the impression of having got to the top by chance. With that Max Allegri-esque game, which you never know whether it is out of true conviction or forced choice due to the scarce resources of a bench shorter than Inter's. An A.C. Milan that wins but does not convince, often missing too many goals and risking getting caught in defence as in the home defeat against Parma. And yet, despite the many points thrown away with the smaller teams, Milan is the only team, at the moment, that still manages to worry Inter. A success of theirs could in fact shatter some of the certainties of Chivu's team, so far tetragonal to external pressures. An Inter more national than international that, however, before the derby, will have to face Como in the semifinal of the Coppa Italia. Behind Milan, meanwhile, the Eurozone race is on. Napoli, third on 53 points, despite not shining against Verona, rediscovered Lukaku after many months. Roma, fourth on 51 points, instead missed a great opportunity to catch up with Juve. Behind them are Como (48) and Juventus (47), reunited after the draw in extremis at the Olympic Stadium

Inter-Genoa 2-0. Forget the Champions League straight away. Inter managed to do it by getting rid of the Rossoblù with minimum effort and maximum result. In the league, Chivu's team is irresistible, especially if those who face them allow them to do well what they know how to do. But it is useless to blame Genoa, a formation whose values are too different from the hosts on their eighth consecutive victory, the fourteenth in the last fifteen days. The Nerazzurri, even when they are without Lautaro and with a spectral version of Thuram, can count on formidable automatisms and on the extraordinary form of Federico Dimarco, by now the true leader of this group with 6 goals and 15 assists to his credit. Against Genoa, Dimarco, seeing that after half an hour the result would not break the deadlock, pulled a pearl of rare beauty out of his hat, hitting the opposite corner with his left. In the second half, when Genoa raised their heads, 2-0 came thanks to a penalty caused by a clumsy foul of hand by Amorin. Calhanoglu took the penalty with his usual coolness, confirming that he was on the mend after his injury. The half-empty glass comes from Sonny (right calf problems). The only sore point is therefore the attack: While waiting for Lautaro (and for Thuram to at least return to normal), the only one who gives some guarantees is Pio Esposito, who is not brilliant either.

Cremonese-Milan 0-2 The Rossoneri return to within 10 points of Inter: but how many complications! To win and erase the defeat against Parma, they really struggled too much. After squandering four or five goals, they managed to win in the 90th minute with a dunk by Pavlovic who, exploiting a carambole with De Winter, deflected a cross from the stainless Modric into the net. The final 2-0 was rounded off in the dying minutes by Leao on a counter-attack. The scoreline was not misleading. Cremonese, too, had their good chances. Milan more, of course, but the real difference, with Inter, is that the Nerazzurri in the league have a great ease in scoring goals, not only with their strikers, while the Rossoneri fail to concretise what they produce. Partly because Leao and Pulisic do not render according to their qualities, partly because Milan, playing at a low pace, allow the opponent to reorganise. In the first case there is a problem of imprecision due to poor condition, in the second an unaggressive game - then hitting back - which is a speciality of the house. Also participating in the festival of waste is Fullkrug, another striker who, after a good debut, seems to have lost his way in goal. When he enters, he gives more weight to the attack, but does not score. In the end, even though he plays narrowly, the most prolific remains Leao (9 goals), who is often engaged in a role that is not his own. Other notes on the sidelines: an injury to Bartesaghi to be assessed and, in derby terms, the fact that none of the cautioned players were cautioned

Roma-Juventus 3-3. A white-hot challenge at the Olimpico. With six goals and a point each, Roma were especially displeased, caught up in the 93rd minute by a last-gasp strike from Gatti (who had just come on), which fixed the direct clash between two rivals for the Eurozone in a final draw. A draw in extremis that gave oxygen to the Bianconeri and sounded like a mockery for the Giallorossi who, until 11 minutes from the end, were ahead by two goals. Roma remain fourth (51 points) but Juve, sixth, remain -4 from fourth place with a more favourable schedule. Gasperini's team, in just a few minutes, saw a victory that, too superficially, they had already been looking forward to fade away. Better Madama who, fresh from the 120 minutes with Galatasaray, found the strength and will to go upstream when all seemed lost. For Gasperini an opportunity thrown away. For the Juventus coach, a good redemption after the elimination from the Champions League and the awareness that, with some corrections, a place in Europe is still within his reach. To Wesley's initial advantage, there was Conceicao's reply with a splendid half-tipped shot into the crossbar. Then Ndicka and Malen brought the Giallorossi to a momentary 3-1 lead. Boga and Gatti, who both came on from the bench, gave Spalletti a precious point, making the final score 3-3.