Juventus came from behind to solidify their grip on a top-four spot and keep their Scudetto hopes alive with a 2-1 Serie A win at Cagliari.

Massimiliano Allegri has consistently rebuffed talk of Juve joining an absorbing three-way title race, but the Bianconeri are now just five points behind leaders Milan – albeit having played a game more – after victory in Sardinia.

Allegri's men were in danger of suffering a setback when Joao Pedro gave Cagliari an unexpected early lead and Luca Pellegrini then saw a goal controversially disallowed.

However, Juve pulled off a turnaround thanks to Matthijs de Ligt's leveller and Dusan Vlahovic's 75th-minute winner.

Relegation-threatened Cagliari had lost their previous four league games but took the lead in the 10th minute through Joao Pedro's sublime strike.

Paulo Dybala was dispossessed in midfield by Razvan Marin, who surged down the right and laid the ball off for Joao Pedro to steer it into the top-left corner.

Juve appeared to have levelled when Pellegrini's left-footed drive deflected beyond Alessio Cragno, but the visitors were left incensed as the goal was ruled out by the VAR for handball, with the ball striking Adrien Rabiot's elbow on its way in.

The Bianconeri continued to pepper the Cagliari goal, though, and their reward finally came on the stroke of half-time.

Juan Cuadrado saw a long-range effort turned behind, but the same man delivered a deft cross following the subsequent corner, with De Ligt arriving to power a header into the bottom-left corner.

Giorgio Chiellini had a goal ruled out for offside soon after the restart and Dybala fired over on the half-volley before later teeing up Cuadrado to shoot narrowly wide of the far post.

Juve's luck was finally in 15 minutes from the end of normal time as Vlahovic, having moments earlier been denied by Cragno, saw Giorgio Altare's attempted interception of Dybala's throughball deflect off his leg and beyond the unfortunate Cagliari goalkeeper. 

Massimiliano Allegri called on Juventus to improve their calmness and clinical finishing as he conceded his team cannot compete with Serie A title contenders Milan, Inter and Napoli.

Juve dominated for large periods against Inter in the Derby d'Italia, but Hakan Calhanoglu's penalty practically ended the Bianconeri's hopes for a late Scudetto surge following a remarkable unbeaten streak.

With Allegri's side also crashing out at the Champions League last-16 stage to Villarreal, their hopes of silverware hang on their Coppa Italia run, where they hold a 1-0 first-leg semi-final advantage over Fiorentina.

Allegri urged his team to improve on Saturday when they visit Cagliari, who have lost 10 of their last 11 league meetings with Juve – failing to score in eight of those games.

"There is just one possible reaction. Play good games. Tomorrow's match will be very different from the one against Inter," Allegri told reporters at Friday's pre-match news conference. 

"It's never easy to win in Cagliari and we must be prepared, knowing the opponents, and their moment. We must win games, that's the only thing we must think about.

"Our target is to finish in the top four. For now, we are there, but Roma are close [five points behind]. That's why we need a great performance tomorrow. We can take no risks, we need to adapt to the game.

"We played the best games against Atalanta, Villarreal and Inter at home, but we were not clinical enough. We need to improve and be more calm in those situations.

"I can understand errors in one or two games, but three is an important number and that's why we need to improve.

"I've analysed what I saw against Inter. I always think about what the team is doing. We deserve to be fourth. We need to work to improve and we can improve before the end of the season.

"We can work on the development of individual footballers and we have more time because we'll play one game per week, except the Coppa Italia semi-final with Fiorentina.

"I don't like compliments, otherwise, we become a team that is satisfied with compliments and finds excuses. I don't want excuses or compliments, I want victories."

Paulo Dybala will leave Turin when his contract expires at the end of the season but the Argentina international has continued to feature despite a breakdown in talks.

Allegri will hope his striker can deliver and remain committed to the cause against Cagliari, given Dybala has scored six of his eight goals in the league this season against teams in the lower half of the table.

"We have time to work during the week but at the same time, we have targets," he continued. 

"Every player in the team must give his contribution and help us reach a top-four finish, regardless of their future. We have five or six players with a contract expiring. Right now, we must focus on the pitch and on getting results.

"I think Juventus have created a lot in the last three or four months. We haven't scored much and we must be more efficient up front.

"Had we won against Inter, we would have had a small chance [to win the title], but now we need to focus on our target. We are fourth and we deserved so, when we were 10th, we deserve to be 10th. The rest doesn't count."

Milan head coach Stefano Pioli insisted "four teams can still win the Scudetto" after his side moved back to the top of Serie A with a 1-0 victory over Cagliari, which was marred by abuse directed at Mike Maignan.

The Rossoneri dominated for large parts on Saturday, but a lack of clinical finishing left them frustrated until just before the hour.

Ismael Bennacer stepped up with an exquisite volley into the bottom-left corner to edge Milan past Walter Mazzarri's side, who spurned two great opportunities through Joao Pedro and Keita Balde in response.

Victory meant Milan restored their three-point lead over Napoli, who defeated Udinese 2-1 earlier on Saturday, and they are six ahead of defending champions Inter, who have played a game fewer, after they were held by Fiorentina.

Juventus could cut the gap on the leaders to seven when they host Salernitana on Sunday, and Pioli believes the Scudetto race is far from over with eight games remaining for his side.

"Every game is an important crossroads now. I liked the team, even when we didn't score in the first half, as we played with quality and intensity," Pioli told Sky Sport Italia.

"Cagliari caused us problems, but that's inevitable when you have two teams with such strong motivation."

Milan's triumph was their third straight win by a 1-0 scoreline and, while delighted with the result, Pioli would look to see his team be more ruthless in front of goal.

"We would like to score more and went close again several times today, but the important thing is to win," he added.

"We're doing great things, but we also know there are four sides that could still win the Scudetto. There's no point looking too far ahead, there's a long way to go and we need to concentrate only on our own path."

Milan's win was tainted, however. There was a commotion between the players after the final whistle, and Pioli confirmed that goalkeeper Mike Maignan had made claims he was racially abused by some Cagliari fans.

"Mike told me there was racist abuse from behind the goal," Pioli responded when asked about the scenes at full-time.

"It's always sad when these things happen, nobody deserves that."

Ismael Bennacer delivered the decisive second-half strike as Milan restored their three-point lead at the Serie A summit with a 1-0 victory at Cagliari on Saturday.

Napoli edged past Udinese to move level on points with Stefano Pioli's side earlier in the day, although fellow title contenders Inter were held to a 1-1 draw with Fiorentina.

Milan responded to those results with a vital victory despite an unconvincing performance at the Unipol Domus, with Bennacer's sumptuous volley from outside the area just before the hour mark proving the difference.

A third consecutive 1-0 win keeps the Rossoneri ahead of Napoli and widens the gap to Inter to six points, albeit the defending champions have a game in hand.

Olivier Giroud miscued a presentable chance on the volley in the opening stages following a headed pass by Junior Messias, while Franck Kessie struck the post with a low drive.

Milan continued to control first-half proceedings, but Alberto Grassi provided a scare when he drilled narrowly wide.

Although the sides headed in goalless at the interval, Pioli's visitors persisted following the restart, with Theo Hernandez's ambitious long-range effort forcing an acrobatic Alessio Cragno stop. 

Milan's reward for their efforts arrived shortly after when Giroud teed up Bennacer to expertly volley into the bottom-left corner, as the Rossoneri scored in a 15th consecutive away league game – equalling the club-record top-flight run they achieved in the 1967-68 season.

Joao Pedro wastefully sliced over in response, but Cragno kept his side in the game with a smart save from Giroud that could have proved crucial had Matteo Lovato not headed wide before Keita Balde struck the crossbar – misses that instead secured a big win for Milan in the Scudetto chase.

Wojciech Szczesny has warned Juventus against playing with arrogance, despite their 2-0 win over Cagliari on Tuesday.

Moise Kean and Federico Bernardeschi were on target as Massimiliano Allegri's side closed the gap on the top four in Serie A to four points.

Kean put the hosts ahead in the 40th minute after they enjoyed 67.9 per cent of possession during the first half at the Allianz Stadium.

That figure slipped slightly to 59.3 per cent after the break as the Bianconeri allowed Cagliari a little more of the ball, though that seemed to provide Juve with more space in the final third as their shot count of 10 in the second period was double their first-half tally.

But before getting a second goal, Juve never looked truly comfortable. They dropped two points in similar fashion at Venezia 10 days earlier and were almost punished again as Cagliari saw two brilliant chances go begging – Dalbert narrowly failed to convert a cross, before Szczesny tipped over Joao Pedro's header.

Bernardeschi eventually secured a fifth win in six games with seven minutes remaining, but despite that and their greater shot frequency, Szczesny was left frustrated by what he perceived as negativity and a lack of intensity from Juve.

"We worked hard, but I think there's a lot we need to improve still – both in defence and up front," he told DAZN.

"Sometimes at 1-0, we relax and sit a bit too deep, but that's not good in the long run. We play arrogantly in those situations and I don't like it.

"It happened many times, including in Venezia when we conceded. We sit too deep in the second half. We can't keep lowering the level of intensity for 10 to 15 minutes every time. 

"It went alright today, but we dropped two points against Venezia, so we can't keep doing that."

Federico Bernardeschi played a part in both goals as Juventus edged past Cagliari 2-0 to extend their unbeaten run in Serie A to five matches and make up ground on the top four.

Massimiliano Allegri's men had defeated Cagliari in nine of their previous 10 league meetings but were unable able to seriously assert their authority and were nearly made to pay before killing off the game late on.

Having earlier gone close with a header against the post, Moise Kean opened the scoring for Juve five minutes before half-time in their final match of a disappointing 2021.

Juve survived a couple of big scares in the second half before Bernardeschi, who created Kean's opener, struck in the 83rd minute to seal a win that moves the Bianconeri within four points of fourth-placed Atalanta, who drew 0-0 with Genoa elsewhere on Tuesday.

Kean headed Juan Cuadrado's right-sided cross against the upright with a thumping header 10 minutes into what proved a frustrating first half for the hosts.

However, the breakthrough duly arrived shortly before the interval when Kean adjusted his body to guide Bernardeschi's deflected cross past Alessio Cragno.

Cagliari, who have now conceded in 23 successive away league meetings with Juve, wasted a big chance to equalise before the hour as Dalbert steered wide from seven yards.

Joao Pedro did at least manage to test Wojciech Szczesny eight minutes later with a header down the middle that the Juve keeper tipped over.

But Juve made certain of the points through Bernardeschi's angled drive at the end of a counter, the winger ending a run of 513 days without a goal in Serie A.

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has dismissed agent Mino Raiola's suggestion that Matthijs de Ligt was ready to move on, saying the defender's next step is "to score goals".

Raiola claimed on Sunday that the centre-back was ready for a new step and suggested that the player shares the same view.

However, the 22-year-old has been performing well this term despite Juventus' struggles, with the Bianconeri seventh in Serie A, 12 points behind league leaders Inter.

Allegri was dismissive when asked about the agent's comments ahead of Juventus' clash with Cagliari on Tuesday, focusing instead on how the defender can improve and help the team.

"The step is to score goals tomorrow!" Allegri said in his pre-match press conference on Monday.

"I didn't hear the interview. I can only say that in [the 2-0 win over] Bologna he made two interventions as a great defender. He can still grow like all players."

De Ligt has been a regular fixture in Juve's defence this term, starting 13 times in 18 Serie A games and is becoming a dominant force in the air, competing for the most aerial duels per 90 minutes in the side (4.71) and winning 2.99 of them – also a club high.

Allegri is also still waiting for star forward Paolo Dybala to officially pen new terms, with the 28-year-old out of contract at the end of this season, and confirmed that the club plan to be active in the transfer window ahead of next season.

"I only know that there was a meeting the other day," Allegri continued. "I did not speak, I do not know the developments. It's an important contract.

"We have to work [in the transfer market], we have five months to do it. We have to be concentrated and be calm."

Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi said the Nerazzurri can be proud of their efforts after moving top of Serie A, but insisted there is plenty of work still to be done.

Defending champions Inter moved a point clear of city rivals Milan at the Serie A summit following a 4-0 rout of Cagliari at San Siro on Sunday.

Lautaro Martinez scored twice – and missed a penalty – while Alexis Sanchez and Hakan Calhanoglu were also on target for high-flying Inter.

It was a dominant display as Inter enjoyed a whopping 75.2 per cent of the possession, registered 24 shots and, but for the heroics of Cagliari goalkeeper Alessio Cragno, they could easily have extended their winning margin.

Inter are also through to the knockout stages of the Champions League and will discover their last-16 opponents in Monday's draw.

Inzaghi was pleased with the way his players responded from their midweek defeat to Real Madrid, but maintained they cannot afford to take anything for granted.

"The lads did really well. I had asked for concentration and focus, as I saw this weekend so many big clubs struggle after European games," he told DAZN.

"I knew Cagliari would be organised, and we needed the right approach. I congratulated them at half-time for their attitude as, although it was only 1-0, they had the right performance, and we just needed to convert more of those chances.

"We are top of the table; we reached the Champions League round of 16 after 11 years, so it's hard to do better."

Inter have won 18 home games in 2021 and have never done better in a single calendar year in Serie A.

Meanwhile, Inter scored 98 goals in Serie A this year, only in 1950 the Nerazzurri scored more goals (99) in a calendar year in the top flight.

"I knew we were playing well from the very start; that was 23 games ago, but there's a long road ahead. We've done well to put together a run of positive results," Inzaghi added.

"Now that we are top, naturally we want to stay there. However, we were seven or eight points off the top just a month ago, so we know it's a tricky and very open season.

"Our aim for Christmas was to reach the Champions League round of 16, because Inter deserved to be there after 11 years, and we did it with a game in hand. Now, we can focus on Serie A for the next few weeks."

Lautaro Martinez scored twice as Inter went top of Serie A with a commanding 4-0 win over Cagliari at San Siro.

Martinez, who also had a penalty saved, opened the scoring with a first-half header and Alexis Sanchez doubled the lead shortly after the restart.

Hakan Calhanoglu’s thumping 25-yard strike increased the advantage, before Martinez put the icing on the cake by taking his Serie A tally for the season to 10 with a neat finish.

Simone Inzaghi's side moved a point clear of city rivals Milan at the summit of the table after an eighth win in 10 league meetings with the Rossoblu.

No team have scored more goals from set-pieces than Inter in Serie A this season.

So it was no surprise that the hosts netted another to open the scoring against the side that had conceded the most in the Italian top flight, with Martinez powerfully heading in from Calhanoglu’s corner just before the half-hour mark.

Martinez had a great chance to add a second just before the break after Denzel Dumfries was brought down by Alessio Cragno in the box, but the goalkeeper redeemed himself by guessing correctly to keep out the spot-kick.

Inter doubled their lead within five minutes of the restart as Sanchez neatly guided home Nicolo Barella's cross on the volley.

Calhanoglu got in on the act 66 minutes in as he beat Cragno with a stunning long-range strike.

Martinez was on target again two minutes later; latching onto Barella's lofted through ball before slotting in his sixth league goal against Cagliari in seven appearances.

Sanchez rattled the bar late on as the defending champions made an emphatic statement as they rose to the summit.

Napoli captain Lorenzo Insigne stressed the Serie A leaders are staying grounded amid their flawless start to the season.

Insigne scored as red-hot Napoli – who have not claimed the Scudetto since 1990 – made it six wins from six league games with a 2-0 victory at home to Cagliari on Sunday.

Napoli star Victor Osimhen opened the scoring in the 11th minute before Insigne doubled the lead with a penalty 12 minutes into the second half.

Luciano Spalletti's Napoli have won each of their first six Serie A seasonal matches for the second time in their history after 2017-18, but Insigne insisted the team are not getting carried away.

"We've started well, but we need to keep our heads down, our feet on the ground, because it's a very, very long road ahead," Insigne told DAZN, with Napoli two points clear of Milan.

"It's an incredible feeling [with the fans], I am trying to enjoy it and repay everyone with my performances and helping the team to win the games."

Napoli have kept a clean sheet in three consecutive Serie A matches for the first time since February 2019.

Osimhen, meanwhile, has scored the joint-most goals in September across all competitions among the players in the top five European leagues – level with Real Madrid's Karim Benzema.

"The coach wants us to enjoy ourselves while we are working," Insigne said. "As captain, I can only say we need to keep our feet on the ground, as we missed out on the Champions League by a point last season, so we have to make up for that.

"We try to play Spalletti's football, he knows we were disappointed to only be in the Europa League and he’' trying to lift us up."

Stefano Pioli is open to fielding Olivier Giroud alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic this season after the Frenchman opened his Milan account with two goals against Cagliari.

Giroud curled in a delightful first-time shot to get off the mark on his San Siro bow and doubled his tally from the penalty spot in Sunday's Serie A clash as Milan ran out 4-1 winners.

With that first-half double, Giroud became the first player to score multiple times in his first home league match for the Rossoneri since Mario Balotelli in February 2013.

Ibrahimovic has been Milan's go-to man up top when fit since returning to the Italian club in January 2020, but the veteran striker is currently sidelined with a knee injury sustained in May.

Pioli hopes to have Ibrahimovic back after the international break in two weeks' time, however, and he is not against tweaking formation to pair the Swede with Giroud in attack.

"I am very open to all situations," Milan head coach Pioli told DAZN. "I'll take it one game at a time to pick the best line-up for that match. 

"When we have the need for two strikers, I will not hesitate to use them together. I just hope to have everyone back to full fitness."

Ibrahimovic watched from the stands as Giroud added to goals from Sandro Tonali and Rafael Leao, which came either side of Alessandro Deiola's temporary equaliser in the first half.

Milan scored four-plus goals in the opening half of a Serie A fixture for the first time since November 2011.

Asked if he is looking forward to linking up with former Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United striker Ibrahimovic, Giroud said: "He is a great champion and very important in the locker room. 

"We want to play together, but I am happy playing with any of my team-mates. It doesn't matter who plays, it's important to respect the decisions of the coach."

It was the first time Giroud has scored a league brace since April 2018, for Chelsea against Southampton, and the 34-year-old revelled in the manner his home debut turned out.

"I'm very proud to play for Milan and in a stadium like San Siro," he told DAZN. "I'm happy with the team performance because we started the game playing our style of football. 

"We really connected on the pitch and could've scored more, while the support from the fans was incredible."

Giroud has inherited the number nine shirt at Milan, which is one of the most iconic jerseys in football but has more recently become a poisoned chalice of sorts.

Mario Mandzukic, Krzysztof Piatek and Gonzalo Higuain have all failed to live up to its reputation, yet Giroud is unfazed by the weight of expectation.

"I heard there was something special about the number nine shirt, but I am not superstitious," he said. "I believe in myself and my abilities. 

"As a kid, I watched Marco van Basten, Jean-Pierre Papin and Filippo Inzaghi wear this shirt, so it makes me happy to be here now."

Milan have won their opening two Serie A games this season, just like they did last time out, but face a tough run of games upon their return to action next month.

The Rossoneri meet a Lazio side sitting top of the division on goal difference and rivals Juventus in their next two league matches, either side of kicking off their Champions League return with a trip to Liverpool.

"We've got a remarkable run of games coming up after the break, so we need to keep this mentality and enthusiasm," Pioli said.

"If we really want a positive future, we must treat everyone as first-choice players. We're missing some at the moment, a couple more might arrive, but we must train the way we want to play and play the way we train.

"We are getting used to playing entertaining football and enjoying ourselves, but we must also remember that the great teams are also capable of winning ugly."

Olivier Giroud scored his first two goals for Milan to help his side maintain their winning start to the Serie A campaign with a convincing 4-1 victory against Genoa at San Siro on Sunday.

The Rossoneri were made to work hard for last week's 1-0 win over Sampdoria but proved far too strong for Genoa as they put on a show for their returning supporters, scoring all four goals in the first half.

Alessandro Deiola netted Genoa's first goal in six league games versus Milan to cancel out Sandro Tonali's opener, but Rafael Leao's heavily deflected strike and Giroud's double gave the hosts breathing space at the midway point.

Milan were happy to keep hold of possession from that point on as they cruised to a seventh league game without defeat stretching into last season.

Tonali lifted the ball over the Genoa wall and just out of back-up goalkeeper Boris Radunovic's reach to get Milan up and running inside 12 minutes with just his second Serie A goal.

Stefano Pioli's side were pegged back soon after through a Deiola header after the midfielder was picked out by a smart Joao Pedro pass – the first goal Milan had conceded in seven league matches.

But Leao restored his side's advantage in rather fortuitous circumstances as his shot took a big touch off the back of Brahim Diaz – Milan's match-winner last weekend – and flew past Radunovic.

Giroud's first Milan goal followed seven minutes later, the Frenchman curling a first-time shot into the far-left corner when played in by Diaz, and he had a second before half-time when converting a penalty awarded for a Kevin Strootman handball.

Milan then went through the motions and did not register a single attempt on target in the second period, with Charalampos Lykogiannis going closest to scoring for the visitors when testing Mike Maignan 10 minutes from time.

Inter and Radja Nainggolan have reached a mutual agreement to terminate the Belgium midfielder's contract, the club announced on Tuesday.

Nainggolan joined Inter from Roma in a swap deal worth £33 million (€38m), with Davide Santon and Nicolo Zaniolo moving to the Italian capital in 2018.

However, the 33-year-old has spent the last two campaigns on loan at Cagliari and Inter have finally come to an agreement to part ways with Nainggolan.

A short statement on the club's official website said: "FC Internazionale Milano announces that it has reached an agreement with the player Radja Nainggolan for the termination of the contract with the club."

The former Roma man managed just 33 Serie A appearances for the Nerazzurri, scoring six times before his two loans at Cagliari, where he netted one more in 48 appearances.

Nainggolan, who is expected to move to Cagliari now he is free to negotiate without Inter's involvement, was a standout performer last term for the Rossoblu.

He created 23 chances, ranking fifth among Cagliari players despite only featuring 22 times, while his 141 recoveries also placed him in the same position.

Milan missed the chance to guarantee themselves a place in next season's Champions League as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Cagliari.

With their safety assured before kick-off, Cagliari did not have anything but pride to play for, yet Milan – shorn of the injured Zlatan Ibrahimovic – could not take the points which would have secured their top-four place thanks to their head-to-head record against fifth-placed Juventus, who beat Inter on Saturday.

Cagliari are the team that Stefano Pioli has won the most matches against as a coach in Serie A, but Milan had Gianluigi Donnarumma to thank as he made two huge saves in the second half. 

Samu Castillejo missed a golden chance at the other end, while Hakan Calhanoglu sent a speculative effort crashing against the woodwork.

Alexis Saelemaekers forced the first save of the match, Alessio Cragno lunging across to tip a decent effort wide.

Theo Hernandez and Calhanoglu struck free-kicks over and into the wall respectively, but there was little other action in a tepid first half.

Indeed, it was Donnarumma who produced the first moment of quality, making a fantastic, instinctive stop from Leonardo Pavoletti's header nine minutes after the restart.

The Italian goalkeeper came to Milan's rescue again 11 minutes later, this time diving low to his right to keep out Diego Godin's header.

Milan should have been ahead moments after, only for Castillejo to volley over from point-blank range.

Calhanoglu almost produced a moment of magic to finally break the deadlock, but his venomous strike from a tight angle rattled the upright as Milan's Champions League hopes remain in the balance.

What does it mean? Top-four race set for photo finish

One of Milan, Juve or Napoli will miss out on the Champions League - and all that is left is to decide is which one will wind up finishing fifth.

Atalanta, thanks to their improved head-to-head record with Juve, are ensured of a place in UEFA's elite club competition once more, and it is Gian Piero Gasperini's team who Milan must face in their final game.

Juve will host Bologna, while third-placed Napoli have an equably favourable game against mid-table Hellas Verona. With no Ibrahimovic to rely on, will Milan have enough?

Donnarumma delivers, but will he be heading for pastures new?

Donnarumma may well have played for the final time as a Milan player at San Siro. He is out of contract at the end of the season and has been heavily linked with a move to Juve – Lille's Mike Maignan a reported Milan target.

Should this have been his farewell game, albeit in front of an empty stadium, the 22-year-old turned in another high-quality performance when it counted, making two fantastic stops from the only shots on target he faced.

Ibrahimovic absence felt up front

Milan's talisman will be out for the remainder of the campaign, plus he will also miss Euro 2020 with Sweden due to a knee injury.

Without him, Milan toiled at the time they needed some quality to shine through. They managed 21 attempts, yet only two were on target, Castillejo guilty of the worst miss when he sliced over from inside the six-yard box.

What's next?

While Milan travel to Atalanta, Cagliari round off their Serie A season against Genoa.

Antonio Conte said his exuberant celebration was a "reward" for the team after Matteo Darmian's winner for Inter in the Serie A leaders' 1-0 victory over Cagliari.

Darmian converted Achraf Hakimi's cross to the far post 13 minutes from time as Inter took another step towards the Scudetto, maintaining their 11-point lead at the top.

Conte reacted to the goal by running down the sideline and leaping into a celebratory huddle with his players before then planting a kiss on creator Hakimi.

Milan put some pressure on by defeating Parma on Saturday, and Conte believes Inter's triumphant response was worth double with just eight games left in the season.

"I'm always stressed but the celebration was a reward for the lads, as was the kiss to [Achraf] Hakimi," Conte told DAZN.

"I don't consider myself to be an older brother but I often kiss them on the forehead, they know the affection I have for them and that I'm ready to throw myself into the fire for them. Hakimi deserved it, as did Darmian.

"I keep repeating the same thing. The matches are becoming fewer and the victories start to be worth six points.

"Milan won yesterday in Parma and it was important for us to maintain the distance at the top, but by now we are used to this type of situation.

"For many it is the first time they are playing under this pressure and having to win because others are picking up points, but I am very satisfied with the progress of these guys.

"We have grown so much in the space of under two seasons from every point of view, and show this every Sunday.

"I say the 'countdown' to the title in quotations, because we play to win and always push forward. We are not a team that makes calculations and I do not want us to, because I like winning too much and I want the players to feel this too.

"The objective is in sight but we are not there yet, we have won three big games in eight days but at the same time we know it's not enough because there are eight more matches."