Inter bounced back from their shock defeat to Bologna with a 2-1 win away to Udinese that ensured Milan's lead at the Serie A summit was trimmed back to two points.
Stefano Pioli's side last week usurped Inter at the top of the table and then clinched a late 1-0 win over Fiorentina earlier on Sunday, but the Nerazzurri responded with a professional showing in Udine.
Ivan Perisic and Lautaro Martinez scored Inter's goals in the first half to give them a commanding lead, with the hosts offering little attacking threat.
The champions continued to dominate after the break without creating a great deal, and although Udinese pulled one back out of the blue through Ignacio Pussetto, Simone Inzaghi's side completed the job.
Inter looked sharp at the start and that translated to an early lead as Perisic met Federico Dimarco's corner delivery with a glancing header that beat Marco Silvestri at his near post.
The visitors looked to have wasted a chance to double their lead just past the half-hour mark when Martinez's close-range chip was saved by Silvestri, but Pablo Mari fouled Edin Dzeko as he attempted to convert on the rebound.
Martinez's subsequent penalty hit the post and then Silvestri before allowing the Argentinian a simple finish following up.
Clear-cut chances were more of a rarity in the second half until Udinese forced a tense finish through Pussetto, who bundled over the line after Samir Handanovic saved Gerard Deulofeu's free-kick after 72 minutes.
But Inter successfully protected their one-goal lead to seal three precious points in the title race.
Inzaghi content with Man City draw but laments Inter misses
Simone Inzaghi lamented Inter's missed opportunities but was broadly satisfied with their 0-0 draw at Manchester City on matchday one in the Champions League.
Inter produced an impressive performance at the Etihad Stadium, holding the team that beat them in the 2023 Champions League final to seal a memorable treble.
Matteo Darmian and Henrikh Mkhitaryan had huge chances to put the Nerazzurri ahead in the second half, though they were also fortunate to see Ilkay Gundogan miss two golden opportunities for City.
After becoming just the second coach to oversee a clean sheet in an away Champions League game versus Guardiola's City, Inzaghi heaped praise on his players.
"The players did really well, we knew the quality of our opponents, but we worked well and could have hurt them more in some situations," he told Amazon Prime Video Italia.
"In the final third we need to show skill and technique, which we do have in the squad.
"Against these sides like Manchester City and Real Madrid, you always seem like you might be able to score a goal, but then they manage to rescue it."
Midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu, meanwhile, said Inter were determined not to be intimidated by City following their defeat in the 2022-23 showpiece game.
"We wanted to show that we are not scared to play here. We play football the way they do, with sacrifice we showed that we can also play football," Calhanoglu said.
"We enjoyed ourselves against a very strong team and could also have won, but with the right courage and spirit of sacrifice, we proved that we can compete against anyone."
Inter will now turn their focus to the Derby della Madonnina against Milan in Serie A on Sunday.
"It will be a derby, we all know what that means for the club and our fans," Inzaghi said. "They never stopped singing tonight in Manchester.
"We will stay here overnight, fly back tomorrow and try to prepare the match in just a few days."
'I love my team' – Guardiola proud of Man City despite Inter blank
Pep Guardiola was proud of Manchester City's performance despite their failure to find a breakthrough in their goalless draw with Inter, declaring: "We are a fantastic team".
In a repeat of the 2023 Champions League final, City were unable to find a way past a resolute Nerazzurri defence at the Etihad Stadium.
Ilkay Gundogan missed two huge chances at the death for the hosts, but Inter themselves went close to snatching three points through Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Erling Haaland, meanwhile, was limited to the fewest touches of all 22 starters (14) as his bid to reach 100 goals for City was foiled.
Despite City failing to score for just the second time in 42 home Champions League games under him (also versus Sporting CP in 2022), Guardiola refused to criticise his men.
Asked what he liked about their display by TNT Sports, Guardiola said: "Everything, absolutely everything. We played so good, I love my team, we are a fantastic team.
"Against a team who are masters of defending, we did so, so well. We conceded one or one and a half chances, and you cannot expect to create 20 chances when a team defends so deep.
"When you lose easy balls, it's a counterattack, it's impossible to stop it. We had to be more precise. You cannot always control it.
"We had not a lot [of chances], but they were so clear. It's also the start of the season, these players will get better with a little bit more time."
Guardiola was also asked for an update on the condition of Kevin De Bruyne, who was withdrawn at half-time just four days out from a huge Premier League matchup against Arsenal, but he was unable to provide one.
Defender Ruben Dias was also pleased with most aspects of City's performance, saying: "A very intense game against a very strong opponent.
"We knew what was coming, they're a top team as well, they're used to winning, and we knew we were not going to have an easy job.
"In the end, I think the team had a great performance, we were very close to scoring."
Another huge chance for Inter to snatch victory saw defender Matteo Darmian inexplicably attempt to find Nicolo Barella with a backheel when he had a clean sight of Ederson's goal in the second half.
Asked about that moment after the game, Nerazzurri boss Simone Inzaghi said: "I asked him, 'what were you playing at?', and he said he could hear Barella behind him."
City's next Champions League game is at Slovan Bratislava on October 1, while Inter host Crvena zvezda on the same day.
Arteta confirms Arsenal captain Odegaard out 'for a while' with ankle injury
Mikel Arteta confirmed Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard will be out "for a while" after suffering a significant ankle injury while playing for Norway.
The 25-year-old hobbled off during his country's Nations League 2-1 win over Austria in Oslo on September 9 and returned to London on crutches.
Odegaard missed Sunday's 1-0 derby victory against Tottenham and Arteta revealed the bad news on the midfielder ahead of Arsenal's opening Champions League game away to Atalanta.
"The scans showed that he's got some damage especially on one of the ligaments in the ankle," the Arsenal manager said on Wednesday.
"It's something quite significant so we're going to lose him for a while."
Arteta, whose side are second in the league and two points behind Manchester City, said he hoped it would not be months "but let's see".
Odegaard has become a key player for Arsenal, missing only a handful of games over the last three seasons, and a lengthy absence will come as a huge blow.
"He's our captain. He's been one of the biggest and best players in our team," continued Arteta.
"Our identity is very linked to how he plays and behaves. It's a big test for the team to see how able we are to show a different face."
Norway coach Stale Solbakken told VG newspaper he had been fully updated about the injury and was "preparing for a life without Martin".
"We have to take it week by week and day by day. Some types of damage go faster and some go slower," he said.
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