Inter Milan stretched their lead to 10 points at the top of Serie A with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Salernitana at San Siro.
Inter were looking for a sixth consecutive victory and they were well on their way when Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez scored within two minutes of each other before Denzel Dumfries put the hosts out of sight at the break.
A dominant Inter side limited their opponents to just one shot and Marko Arnautovic saw a strike ruled out but he was not to be denied as he added a fourth for Inter with the last kick of the game to continue their 100 per cent start to 2024.
Inter Milan’s attacking intention was clear from the outset and they should have opened the scoring after three minutes when Alessandro Bastoni’s header was parried by Guillermo Ochoa into the path of Thuram but he could only poke onto the post with the goal at his mercy.
Another early chance went begging as Nicolo Barella latched onto a loose ball and fired at goal with Ochoa magnificently tipping over the bar from point-blank range.
It was wave after wave of Inter attack throughout the first 10 minutes and Ochoa once again had to stop Thuram from stabbing in from inside the six-yard box.
Inter finally made their deserved breakthrough in the 17th minute when Carlos Augusto found Thuram inside the box and this time he made no mistake, blasting into the top corner for his 10th league goal of the season.
Inter doubled their lead with a second goal in quick succession and Augusto was yet again the creator when his long throw forward found Martinez who curled in from the edge of the box.
Inter put the game to bed five minutes before the break when Barella’s deflected cross needed to be dealt with by Ochoa but he could only push into the path of Dumfries who bundled home with ease.
Inter started the second period in the same fashion as the first and almost had a fourth right away but Hakan Calhanoglu’s rifled volley was palmed behind by Ochoa.
Salernitana had yet to register a single shot during the first 55 minutes but had an opportunity from a free-kick from 25 yards that Antonio Candreva blasted over the bar.
Ochoa was keeping the score respectable and he rose well to keep out Stefan De Vrij’s header from going in.
Inter thought they had a fourth in the 78th minute when former Stoke and West Ham forward Arnautovic got on the end of a long ball and finished past Ochoa only for the offside flag to cut short celebrations.
However, they did add the cherry to the cake when Arnautovic got on the end of Dumfries’ cross and poked home from inside the area.
Roma 1-1 Juventus: Juve miss chance to close gap to second after draw with Roma
Juventus were held to a 1-1 draw at Roma on Sunday, missing the chance to close in on Milan in second place in Serie A.
Roma took the lead after 15 minutes when Romelu Lukaku found himself in the perfect position to tap in the rebound from a Bryan Cristante shot.
Bremer levelled with a header for Juventus just after the half-hour mark when Federico Chiesa picked him out inside the box from a corner.
Both sides had chances to find a winner in the final minutes, with Roma keeper Mile Svilar making a fingertip save to push Manuel Locatelli's volley over the bar.
Third-placed Juventus have 66 points, five fewer than Milan, who drew 3-3 with Genoa earlier on Sunday. Roma are fifth with 60 points.
Data Debrief: Leading from the back
Since scoring his first Serie A goal in the 2019-20 season, Bremer is the defender with the most headed goals in the Big-5 European leagues, netting 13 in total. Each of his last seven goals have been headers.
His goal was enough to earn Juventus a point today, but it means that they have drawn each of their last four in the competition - a first since February-March 2012 under Antonio Conte.
Milan 3-3 Genoa: Thiaw own goal denies Rossoneri in six-goal thriller
Milan were pegged back to a thrilling 3-3 draw by Genoa in Serie A on Sunday.
Second-half goals from Matteo Gabbia and Olivier Giroud put Milan on course for victory, but a late own goal from Malick Thiaw rescued a point for the visitors.
Genoa's Mateo Retegui converted a penalty five minutes in, but Milan equalised just before half-time through an Alessandro Florenzi header.
The visitors regained the lead three minutes into the second half, however, when Caleb Ekuban sent a towering header home.
Milan turned the game around in three minutes, as Gabbia headed home in the 72nd and Giroud scored the hosts' third of the match with a volley from an acute angle.
Yet Genoa continued to push and a cross into the Milan box was inadvertently turned into his own net by defender Thiaw.
Second-placed Milan have 71 points, six ahead of Juventus who play later on Sunday. Genoa are 12th with 43 points.
Data Debrief: Like a fine wine
Age really is just a number for Milan's veteran campaigner Giroud, who has scored 14 goals in Serie A this season.
It is his highest tally in a single league campaign since netting 16 for Arsenal in the Premier League in 2015-16.
'It hurts to lose' - Inzaghi apologises after Sassuolo defeat
Simone Inzaghi admits "it hurts to lose" following Inter's surprise 1-0 defeat by relegation-threatened Sassuolo.
The newly crowned Scudetto winners suffered only their second loss of the season in Serie A, as Armand Lauriente's first-half goal was enough to give the 19th-place hosts victory at Mapei Stadium.
Sassuolo, who boosted their survival hopes, subsequently completed the league double over the Nerazzurri, having also prevailed 2-1 at San Siro in September.
Meanwhile, Inter were beaten by a team in the bottom two for the first time since November 2014, with Inzaghi urging his players not to be distracted by their title triumph.
"We started sluggish and didn’t have the right approach to the game," he told Sky Sports Italia. "I'm sorry for the defeat, but credit must be given to Sassuolo for a performance of great effort and sacrifice.
"It's right to enjoy [our Scudetto victory], but there are still three games to go and we have to focus. It hurts to lose, and it should hurt."
After guiding Inter to their 20th Serie A crown, Inzaghi is hopeful he can keep the majority of his squad intact ahead of next season.
However, the Nerazzurri boss did emphasise the club's need to strengthen before launching their Scudetto defence.
"I already told the club that I want to go into next season with all the players I had this term, not losing a single one," he said. "Considering all the games we need to play and the length of the season, we do need a bigger squad."
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