AC Milan brakes with Roma, Juve overwhelms Napoli and Inter try to escape

A gap that Inter will do everything to widen before the derby on 8 March. The last six (four defeats and two draws) do not in fact lay in the Nerazzurri's favour, but statistics are worth what they are worth.

Roma had also never drawn so far. And in any case, Gasperini came out of this challenge with Allegri's head held high and with some regrets ('if we had lost it would have been a mockery...')

The third clue, in Inter's favour, comes from Napoli's impressive crash in Turin. Conte's team, from what we saw with Juve, is in freefall. And nine points to make up are a lot. If anything, after this Sunday, Chivu will have to worry more about Roma (third on 43 points with Napoli) and the return of Juventus, fifth on 42, never seen so much pace under Spalletti.

This pretty picture, of course, will have to be reviewed in the light of European commitments.

Inter, despite the scorching defeat to Arsenal, overwhelmed poor Pisa with a cascade of goals (6-2). But behind the roar of victory, Chivu is left with a few bad thoughts. One of these is the usual stigma of Inter: strong with the weak, but fragile with the big ones. Even in the Champions League, where with Atletico, Liverpool and Arsenal it only scored twice.

The goleades with Pisa make one happy, but, if one wants to grow, such abundance must be better distributed. The challenge at home to Dortmund, scheduled for Wednesday, will be an important junction to reach the round of 16 without the playoffs.

Juventus-Napoli 3-0. It is not a slaughter, but it is close. A powerful and surgical Juve demolished Napoli, leaving them 9 points behind Inter. A defeat that, in terms of the Scudetto, sounds like a sentence both for the fragility of Conte's team and for the overall situation of the partenopei, decimated by injuries and in a bad way also in Europe after the setback against Copenaghen and with Chelsea coming up. In Turin, on the Bianconeri's best day, Napoli were elsewhere.

Juve, who could not afford any more missteps, immediately cornered the visitors, who were unable to respond to the pounding pressure. The first goal, in the 22nd minute, came from David, who was quick to head past Meret after a fine assist from Locatelli. Napoli, often on the verge of taking the lead, reacted in the second half. But it was a weak reaction that dissolved when, with 15 minutes to go, Spalletti redesigned Juve with a 4-4-2, inserting Kostic and Cabal for Cambiaso and Conceiçao.

It was a fatal change of pace for Conte's team overwhelmed by Yldiz's second goal (well served by Miretti) and finally by Kostic who, with a left-footed shot, signed the hat-trick to the jubilation of the Bianconeri fans, who were particularly stinging towards Conte.

In the final minutes there was also room for Lukaku's return, a sad return as the Belgian bomber clumsily failed to score the flagship goal.

Atalanta-Parma 4-0. A Sunday in fluency for the Bergamasks, who scrambled the Emilians, leaving behind the Champions League defeat. Everything came easy enough in the first half, which ended 2 goals ahead (Scamacca on a De Roon penalty). Parma started well, then got lost.

Raspadori also scored, his first goal in a Nerazzurri shirt on an assist from Krstovic. In the final, with Parma in ten, came the 4-0 signed by the same Krstovic.

La Dea is ready for next Sunday's direct clash in Como. Palladino, with an increasingly competitive squad, will be aiming for the top of the table.

Genoa-Bologna 3-2. Come, gentlemen, to see an afternoon of great excitement and much madness at the Ferraris stadium with the Grifone overturning Bologna ahead by two goals (Ferguson and Otoa's own goal) but then hit and sunk when they were down to ten due to the expulsion of goalkeeper Skorupski, author of a disputed foul on Vitnha for the Var in a clear goal-scoring opportunity.

At that point Genoa put the turbo into gear and scored a hat-trick (Malinovskyi, Ekuban and Messias' pearl) that overturned the result, also due to the uncertainties of second goalkeeper Ravaglia, who took over from Dominguez. For De Rossi, on his fifth useful result in a row, another confirmation of the red and blue's growth. For Italiano, after the great illusion, another step backwards.

Como-Torino 6-0. What a drubbing for the granata! An extra-large overcoat that leaves no room for ifs or buts. It is true that Toro is grappling with a thousand injuries and players not used for market issues, but there was no match. Torino is a ghost without body and soul. Baroni takes all the blame, but the greatest responsibility must be sought in the society and especially in president Cairo, who does nothing to give a better future to a team with a glorious past.

Toro, sixteenth, risked being sucked into the fight for salvation. And Como, on their fifth victory in a seven-match winning streak, marched as they wished on the remains of Baroni's team whose bench, after four consecutive defeats, is trembling.

On the lakeshore they are now dreaming of Champions League with Fabregas raising his wheel like a peacock 'The league table? We only fight against ourselves, criticism doesn't interest me...'. The goals all splendid. Douvikas, with his brace, reaches eight among A's goalscorers. However, Como is increasingly on a roll.

Lecce-Lazio 0-0. On Saturday it was better to stay away from the Via del Mare stadium, where boredom and fear of injury prevailed. Better was Lecce who, after four consecutive defeats, almost always held the initiative, even going close to the goal with a Ramadani cross. Really badly, Lazio, whose first conclusion was seen after 54 minutes.

After all, Sarri, with Romagnoli and Mandas now ready to leave, is making the best of things. Those that, amidst controversy and protests, President Lotito's short fuse passes him by.

Fiorentina-Cagliari 1-2- Abrupt return to the past for the Viola who, after four consecutive useful results, fell at home to a direct rival for relegation. On an afternoon in memory of president Commisso (500 boys entered the field with a white rose to the notes of Eric Clapton's 'Tears in Paradise'), Fiorentina were surprised by the quick blitzes of Cagliari, careful in defence and deadly in striking first with Kilicsoy and then with Balestra. Brescianini's 2-1 was not enough for the Viola.

Too many mistakes in defence and also in attack. There was no lack of combativeness, but the absence of Kean in attack made itself felt. On the other hand, Cagliari did well and is now eight points ahead of the red zone.

Sassuolo-Cremonese 1-0. It looks bad for Nicola's team (beaten by the Emilians by a Fadera goal) without a win since 7 December. And the future, having to deal with a demanding calendar, is very uncertain. The only certainty for the "grigiorossi", who got off to a rocket start in the championship, is that they have six points more than the third-last place, but the scarce ability to go to the net is worrying.

In their last eight matches, Cremonese have scored only two goals. And next up are Inter, Atalanta, Genoa, Roma and AC Milan. Sassuolo, already ahead in the third minute, then managed the match without too many problems, finding Berardi again after a long period of absence.

Tonight Verona v Udinese at 20.45