Romelu Lukaku scored twice and assisted another as Inter snapped a five-game winless run in Serie A with a 3-0 victory against lowly Empoli at Stadio Carlo Castellani on Sunday.

Inter booked their place in the Champions League semi-finals in midweek, but their poor domestic form – coupled with Juventus' points reprieve – had seen them drop to sixth. 

Simone Inzaghi's heavily rotated side took time to get going against Empoli, but Lukaku gave them a 48th-minute lead with his first league goal from open play since August.

Lukaku fired in another in the 76th minute and then teed up substitute Lautaro Martinez late on to seal the points that lift Inter up to fifth – temporarily at least – and within two points of fourth-placed Roma, who face Atalanta on Monday.

Samir Handanovic was one of those recalled between Inter's two cup ties and was equal to efforts from Nicolo Cambiaghi and Tommaso Baldanzi in the opening 20 minutes.
 
Roberto Gagliardini fired over from range as Inter struggled to create anything of note in a low-key first half, but Inter got their breakthrough three minutes into the second period.

Through his first sight of goal, Lukaku guided a precise shot away from Samuele Perisan into the bottom-left corner for just his fourth league strike of the campaign.

Empoli, now with just one win in 12 league games, offered little in response and fell further behind when Lukaku worked a yard of space and fired an angled shot past Perisan.

Lukaku was not finished there as he carried the ball forward and played in Martinez to convert from one-on-one and complete the routine victory.

Stefano Pioli was left frustrated by Milan's 0-0 draw with Empoli, believing it showed a return to normality after their 4-0 win at Serie A leaders Napoli previously.

The Rossoneri were held to a stalemate by the visitors to San Siro on Friday, missing the chance to consolidate their top-four spot after Inter had also drawn at Salernitana.

Having stunned the runaway title favourites Napoli 4-0 on their own patch last Sunday, Milan could not find the net this time despite having 23 shots, though only four were on target.

Pioli felt his side did all they could, but also suggested their performance reflected an anticipated comedown of sorts.

"It's not the result we wanted," he told Sky Sport Italia. "We had to do better in the first half. We played with great intensity.

"We conceded little to them, and in the second half, we did everything [we had to]. The ball just didn't want to go in.

"Goals are expected from the forwards if we create the chances. We needed to fill the area better. We lacked something to win.

"It's been a long time since we played with this level of energy and intensity, and I'm sorry. We wanted to win again after Napoli.

"But in my opinion, we're returning to the level [where we should be]. We need to improve our game, and we are doing that."

Milan face Napoli again next week, this time with the pair meeting for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at San Siro.

Milan missed the opportunity to further boost their top four hopes as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Empoli on Friday.

The Rossoneri went into their Serie A clash at San Siro looking to take advantage after rivals Inter could only draw with Salernitana earlier in the day.

But Stefano Pioli's side ultimately also had to settle for a point as Paolo Zanetti's visitors stubbornly kept them at bay despite Milan fashioning a number of opportunities, while Olivier Giroud saw a late goal disallowed for handball.

It marked a disappointing lead-in for the hosts as they prepare to face league leaders Napoli in the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday.

Milan wasted little time pursuing an opener, and back-to-back attempts from Ante Rebic and Theo Hernandez in the 13th minute forced a pair of saves from Samuele Perisan, while Sandro Tonali also went close six minutes from the interval.

Empoli continued to be besieged at the back following the break, with defender Tyronne Ebuehi eventually surviving a penalty call that had been given for handball, overturned after a VAR check on the hour mark.

The arrival of Giroud and Rafael Leao added fresh life into Milan's attack, with the latter going close in the 73rd minute following Alessandro Florenzi's cross.

It looked as if Giroud might have spared his side's blushes when he had the ball in the net in the 89th minute, only for the VAR to rule it out for handball against the French striker, ultimately ensuring the hosts were kept at deadlock.

Stefano Pioli says Milan are fully focused on their Serie A clash with Empoli, and not distracted by their upcoming Champions League quarter-final against Napoli.

The Rossoneri host the runaway league leaders in the first leg on Wednesday, but face Empoli at San Siro on Friday prior to that huge encounter.

Milan sit third in Serie A after their impressive 4-0 win at Napoli on Sunday, though with Inter, Roma and Atalanta all within three points of them in a tight race for the top four.

Pioli stressed the need for humility against 14th placed Empoli as their league campaign remains important despite the upcoming glamour of the Champions League last eight.

"It is crucial to stay in tension," he said at a press conference. "Matches are won first with attitudes and determination, and then with quality.

"We must be humble; the league is important to us and we must take advantage of this home game."

He added: "We have to stay on track. We produced an important victory in Naples, but we have to use it to play at that level there all the time. We just have to think about tomorrow."

When later asked how he can ignore the upcoming Champions League clash, Pioli said: "Because the objective in the league is very important and because otherwise the victory in Naples would be useless."

The Milan head coach was also asked about the club's former owner Silvio Berlusconi, who is in intensive care after being diagnosed with leukaemia.  

"We're all worried, but we don't have such precise news clearly," he said. "We hug him and hope he can recover and return to the stadium."

Inter striker Romelu Lukaku was allegedly targeted by racist chants from Juventus fans following his equaliser in their 1-1 Coppa Italia draw in midweek.

When asked if Italian football has a racism problem, Pioli said: "I don't know. I have many friends who go to the stadium with respect, but I'm very sorry because football and sport must be lived with a different spirit."

Speculation about Mohamed Salah's future at Liverpool has re-ignited amid the Reds underwhelming campaign.

Liverpool appear destined for a last-16 Champions League exit after losing the first leg 5-2 at home to Real Madrid, while they are down in seventh in the Premier League.

The Reds are nine points outside the top-four league spots to earn Champions League qualification for next term.

TOP STORY – LIVERPOOL WILLING TO OFFLOAD SALAH

Mohamed Salah is willing to leave Liverpool if they fail to qualify for next season's Champions League while the Reds are open to selling him, claims Fichajes.

Football Insider claims Paris Saint-Germain are keen on the Egyptian, who is contracted with Liverpool until mid-2025, and will bid €80 million (£70.6m) for his services.

Liverpool may be open to offers for Salah given their wealth of forward options as Jurgen Klopp looks to revamp his squad, with their intended pursuit of Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham, who is expected to cost more than €110m (£97m).

ROUND-UP

– Inter forward Lautaro Martinez is garnering interest from Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United, reports TEAMtalk. The 25-year-old Argentinian is contracted until mid-2026.

– Like Arsenal, Manchester United are weighing up a move for Celta Vigo midfielder Gabri Veiga, claims AS. The 20-year-old is believed to be priced around £26m (€30m).

– Fabrizio Romano reports Liverpool's Naby Keita may join Barcelona as a free agent at the end of this season, although he clarified "nothing is serious yet".

– Napoli will rival Liverpool in the race to sign Empoli's 19-year-old attacking midfielder Tommaso Baldanzi, claims Calciomercato.

– RMC Sport reports Paris Saint-Germain will not axe head coach Christophe Galtier before the end of the season, following reports of a move for Thomas Tuchel to replace him.

– Liverpool are considering a swap deal for Milan's Rafael Leao involving Luis Diaz, while PSG are in the race for the Portuguese's signature, according to Calciomercato.

Victor Osimhen believes Napoli's success is the result of great leadership as Luciano Spalletti's team moved a step nearer to their first Serie A title for 33 years.

The Nigerian striker scored for an eighth consecutive league game, taking his goal tally in Serie A to 10 since the turn of the year, with Napoli winning 2-0 at Empoli on Saturday.

The last player to embark on a goal-getting streak so long in Italy's top flight was Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored in 11 consecutive games for Juventus during the 2019-20 campaign.

Napoli's latest away success – their fifth in a row without conceding – was a result that could be directly seen as a measure of the team's progress, given they lost the corresponding game 3-2 last season despite holding a two-goal lead at one point.

This time Napoli never looked like surrendering their advantage after getting ahead, with Ardian Ismajli's own goal followed by Osimhen tucking away a close-range chance.

Napoli were two goals clear inside half an hour, and even the sending-off of Mario Rui midway through the second half did not prove costly.

Spalletti made a tactical reshuffle, and it was Napoli who looked the likelier scorers of a third goal, even with their numerical disadvantage.

"Today we had last year's defeat in mind and we were very concentrated to be able to redeem ourselves and get the win," Osimhen said.

"I'm happy with the confidence the coach has given me, but credit goes to my team-mates because we are a group who are always proving to be competitive on the pitch. Winning here today was very complicated because Empoli are an excellent team."

Saluting the coach and driving force behind this Scudetto push, Osimhen said: "Spalletti always pushes me to give my best, he's a very good and very demanding coach.

"He wants every player to be able to express himself at his best and we follow him because we're doing an extraordinary job which can be seen in the game and in the results."

Osimhen, quoted on Napoli's website, added: "This is definitely the best season of my career, I feel great mentally and physically and I'm happy to be able to continue like this to achieve great goals."

He has 19 goals in 20 Serie A games this term, with Napoli pulling 18 points clear of second-placed Inter, who have a trip to Bologna on Sunday.

It is proving to be a rout of the field as Napoli close in on silverware, winning 21 of 24 games so far, a club record at this stage.

Spalletti said he sensed a "team that knew how to fight and win with a leader's mentality".

Considering Napoli were last champions of Italy in 1989-90, in the days of Diego Maradona and Careca, it is remarkable they have delivered such a spectacular show of dominance this term.

Napoli have lost just once in the league, to Inter on January 4, and they would have to collapse dramatically to not be champions.

"Today the concern was that our level of fighting might be lower than theirs," said Spalletti. "Instead the boys had an availability and a predisposition to sacrifice that deserves praise. I congratulate the team because they are performing excellently."

He said Napoli's midfield "put on a tough face and fought ball after ball with extraordinary dedication".

Using a colloquialism, Spalletti added: "This team is a lot of stuff.

"If we are at this point of the season it means that I have a squad that know how to interpret each match in an exemplary way, with the mentality and spirit which must a team that wants to impose itself must have."

Victor Osimhen hit his 10th Serie A goal since the turn of the year as leaders Napoli stretched their advantage to 18 points by winning 2-0 at Empoli.

The Nigerian has scored in his last eight domestic league games, with his efforts bringing a long-awaited Scudetto ever closer.

An early own goal from Ardian Ismajli gave Napoli a strong start, and Osimhen soon doubled the lead with an easy finish.

The victory on the road was tarnished by Mario Rui petulantly kicking out at Francesco Caputo and receiving a red card following a VAR check, but with games running out the Naples giants are looking unstoppable.

A 17th-minute breakthrough arrived when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's ball from left to right was volleyed across goal by Piotr Zielinski, and Ismajli bundled the ball into his own net from close range.

It was 2-0 in the 28th minute and again Kvaratskhelia was involved, with his skidding shot parried by Guglielmo Vicario to the lurking Osimhen, who had a simple task of tucking past the floored goalkeeper.

Napoli moved in for the kill, and Kim Min-jae hit the underside of the bar from close range with an attempted header that turned into an effort off his shoulder.

Empoli won the corresponding game 3-2 last season after being 2-0 down, sealing a league double, so Napoli knew they had to be wary of a fightback from the mid-table hosts.

Osimhen thought he had scored again just before the hour when he ran in behind the Empoli defence and tucked home while stumbling under pressure, but he was narrowly offside when the pass was played.

The task was complicated for Napoli when their former Empoli left-back Rui was red-carded for his cheap shot at Caputo, catching the striker in a tender spot.

With a quarter of the game remaining, Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti responded by bringing off forwards Kvaratskhelia and Hirving Lozano, replacing them with midfielder Eljif Elmas and defender Mathias Olivera. In truth, Empoli never looked like taking advantage of their extra man and repeating last season's comeback heroics, having been firmly put in their place this time.

Luciano Spalletti says Napoli cannot afford to make "the slightest mistake" when they visit Empoli on Saturday, having seen their Scudetto bid derailed by the same opponents last season.

Napoli are 15 points clear of Inter at the Serie A summit ahead of their trip to the Stadio Carlo Castellani, and appear destined to win their first league title since the Diego Maradona era.

However, Empoli have only lost one of their nine home games against Napoli in Serie A, winning four and drawing four – with last campaign's contest having a huge impact on the title race.

Napoli squandered a two-goal lead in the final 10 minutes as they succumbed to a 3-2 defeat at Empoli last April, a result which all but ended their hopes of beating Milan and Inter to the Scudetto.

Despite Napoli's seven-game winning streak making them overwhelming title favourites, Spalletti is wary of the threat posed by a side he represented as both a player and as head coach.

"Don't get confused between work and superstition," Spalletti said. "Here, we work in the right way. 

"The match with Empoli [last season] destroyed our whole year of work, we could have won 3-0 and instead we lost, it was devastating. We suffered a lot.

"We want to win for our city, we feel it. We can't make the slightest mistake. Sometimes, they happen unexpectedly and determine the fate of the whole situation.

"The euphoria we have cannot become presumption, which would stop us from growing."

Empoli are one of just two teams – the other being Inter – to have beaten Napoli twice across the last two Serie A campaigns, doing the double over the Partenopei last term.

However, Napoli appear to be a different beast this campaign, and Spalletti's men have even been touted as contenders to win the Champions League following Tuesday's 2-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their last-16 tie.

Asked whether his side should be held up as an example for others to follow, Spalletti said: "I don't know if we can become a role model.

"Our approach is this, to play good football with our characteristics and to achieve as many results as possible. We are pleased with the compliments, of course."

Jose Mourinho took aim at critics of Roma after a 2-0 win over Empoli on Saturday, reminding fickle fans he could have left the club in December.

The former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United boss has put Roma in the mix for a top-four finish and a place in next season's Champions League, yet he feels he continues to get a raw deal.

Goals from Roger Ibanez and Tammy Abraham inside the opening six minutes set up the latest victory that moved the capital club, at least briefly, up to third place in Serie A.

Mourinho is thought to have been wanted by Portugal after the World Cup, but the 60-year-old elected to stay with Roma and hopes that will prove a wise decision.

A narrow defeat to runaway leaders Napoli last week was followed by the blow of a Coppa Italia quarter-final exit at the hands of Cremonese, the whipping boys of the Italian top flight this season.

Roma fans booed at times on Saturday as they continue to reel from that cup disappointment, with captain Lorenzo Pellegrini not spared when he came off in stoppage time, near the end of the game.

But Mourinho said: "Pellegrini has a coach who respects him and respects everything he does for the team. Out of 60,000 people, maybe 20, 30, 50 people boo."

He said his team were playing "with our limitations", a reference to their limited squad depth, and said beating Empoli should be regarded as "an excellent victory, because we played against a very difficult team".

Mourinho added: "Some fans don't understand it, but this is normal. Fans love the club, but football is not their area. Obviously there are those who understand, and there are people in the press who should have understood, because it's their job, and who in my opinion understand but pretend not to understand that this is our reality."

For the Cremonese cup game, Mourinho started without a number of his Serie A regulars, believing they needed to be protected from a heavy schedule, but the likes of Abraham, Nemanja Matic and Paulo Dybala were back in the starting XI for the Empoli game.

"I think that if this team plays against Cremonese, we win and we're in the semi-final of the Coppa Italia," Mourinho said. "But then we wouldn't have won today. This is our reality. We always do our best, we work hard.

"Today, before the game, I told the players that we have to go onto the pitch with a backpack full of the frustration and sadness of the last game, but we can't expect anyone to help. Just us.

"For the first time I went on the pitch with them in the warm-up and our feeling was exactly this: it's just us. The truth is that we do our best. And as I always say, when you give your best, you can't give more. We always give our best.

"I think day after day. I could have left in December, and I didn't leave, I stayed here. And this is my life. Sometimes it seems like we're in trouble, in the relegation zone, but we're there, we're at the top, with all those teams that are very strong. But that's okay."

It remains to be seen whether Mourinho will be in charge next season, and whether Nicolo Zaniolo and Chris Smalling will stay at Roma.

Attacking midfielder Zaniolo saw a January move fail to come off, after he appeared to push for a transfer before hesitating when Bournemouth looked to be his likely destination.

Former Manchester United and England centre-back Smalling, who started against Empoli, is nearing the end of his contract and reports have claimed Inter and Juventus are keen on him.

Asked what Zaniolo had to do to be welcomed back into the squad, and how Smalling might be persuaded to stay with Roma, Mourinho said: "Zaniolo must do absolutely nothing, it is a problem of the club and he must solve it with the club, not with me. For Smalling, I can do nothing to convince him."

Simone Inzaghi told Inter to forget Monday's dismal defeat to Empoli, after which the Nerazzurri were still not giving up hopes of winning Serie A.

Inter remained 13 points behind runaway leaders Napoli after going down 1-0 at home following a first-half Milan Skriniar red card.

Empoli were good value for their win against Inzaghi's out-of-sorts side, and the head coach appeared to recognise that as he sought to move on swiftly from this match.

"We have to archive it immediately," he said. "We will have another difficult game, and we have to forget immediately, looking ahead.

"Of course, we will analyse the mistakes, but we have to think about the next matches."

The season is now at the halfway stage, and Inzaghi acknowledged Inter must improve.

"This is a defeat that stings," he told DAZN. "We finish the first half of the season with 37 points and many regrets.

"Now, we know we'll have to do better over the second part."

However, midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu is remaining optimistic, saying in an interview with Sky Sport: "Thirteen points [to Napoli] is a huge gap, but we have to keep going and not stop.

"I know it feels hard to believe, but there's still a long way to go."

Inter were brought crashing back down to earth after their Supercoppa Italiana win as they were deservedly defeated 1-0 by Empoli at San Siro on Monday.

Simone Inzaghi's side looked to be set for a big second half to the season after dismantling champions and rivals Milan in Saudi Arabia last week.

But the Nerazzurri's return to action in Serie A saw them completely out of sorts and beaten by teenager Tommaso Baldanzi's goal following a first-half red card for Milan Skriniar.

Defeats such as these may not now cost Inter in the race for Champions League qualification due to Juventus' points deduction, but any remote title hopes appear to have been quickly quashed.

Skriniar's dismissal epitomised an erratic first half from Inter, who could have trailed early on as Andre Onana saved unconvincingly from Nicolo Cambiaghi before Henrikh Mkhitaryan escaped punishment from the subsequent corner when his high boot caught Francesco Caputo's head.

Caputo continued in a bandage while Inter threatened only through Federico Dimarco, who had a volley well saved and also squared for Lautaro Martinez to stab awkwardly wide.

Skriniar, already booked, then became the second Inter man to kick Caputo in the head, and this time the foul was spotted by referee Antonio Rapuano, leading to his dismissal.

Inter showed precious little improvement after half-time and trailed when Onana, whose shaky showing had included another unorthodox stop, was beaten by a Baldanzi shot that was straight at him.

Stefan de Vrij headed against the post from inside the six-yard box but Inter proved as unimaginative in attack as they had been hapless at the back in a frustrating finale.

Moise Kean ended his goal drought and Adrien Rabiot scored twice as rejuvenated Juventus eased to a 4-0 win over Empoli on Friday.

Kean had not scored since April, but the striker set Juve on their way to victory with an early strike at the Allianz Stadium.

Weston McKennie doubled the Bianconeri's lead with his first Serie A goal of the season, heading home in the second half, and Rabiot added a late double to cap an impressive performance.

That is now back-to-back wins for Massimiliano Allegri's side, who moved up a place to seventh ahead of a must-win Champions League clash at Benfica next week.

Juve started with great intensity and were rewarded just eight minutes in when Filip Kostic whipped in a cross from the left and an unmarked Kean applied the finish from close range.

Kean should have found the net again just after the half-hour mark but headed a McKennie cross wide from six yards out.

The Bianconeri demonstrated the danger they pose from set-pieces to double their lead nine minutes into the second half, McKennie rising to powerfully head Juan Cuadrado's delivery into the roof of the net.

Kean nodded in another sublime Kostic delivery but had his celebrations cut short after straying offside as hungry Juve continued to cause problems.

Juve scored another goal from a Cuadrado corner after 82 minutes, Guglielmo Vicario unable to palm away Rabiot's header before it crossed the line.

The France midfielder then capped a great evening for the Turin giants when Danilo's cross gave him a tap-in at the end.

Massimiliano Allegri ruled out Paul Pogba from his Juventus plans for Friday's clash with Empoli, saying it would be "pure madness" to rush the midfielder's recovery.

Juventus have been unable to field Pogba or Federico Chiesa this season, with the France midfielder undergoing knee surgery last month and Italy forward Chiesa suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in January.

Pogba was initially a doubt for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, although France coach Didier Deschamps was upbeat regarding his recovery earlier this week.

Speaking at Monday's Ballon d'Or ceremony, Deschamps said: "His programme is going well. The important thing is that he is cured, I think he will be, and this is already a good thing."

Despite both Pogba and Chiesa being pictured in team training recently, head coach Allegri said Juventus must treat their returns with caution.

"Let's see the real things, the reality today is that Chiesa and Pogba don't have them," Allegri told a pre-match news conference on Thursday.

"Chiesa did two training sessions with the team, Pogba trained temporarily, but very partially with the team. Avoid writing all that stuff there, you have a fantasy.

"Players have not even trained with the team [and you] write that after two days they are available. Fantasy is a power and it is very beautiful. Tomorrow they will not be there.

"I, too, would like everyone available, especially to make changes. With those we have, we will have a great match tomorrow, and we will prepare well for Benfica.

"Chiesa has already made progress. On Saturday morning there will be a friendly for Federico, to see how he moves on the whole field.

"Paul has done some partial work with the team, but we are on Thursday and until Tuesday there are four days. Damaging his work is pure madness."

After their meeting with Empoli, Juventus will have just three days to recover ahead of the decisive Champions League clash with Benfica, but Allegri would not be drawn on whether striker Dusan Vlahovic would be rested on Friday.

"Dusan, regardless of his goal, played one of the best games on a technical level [against Torino last week]," Allegri said.

"[Moise] Kean also did well, I'm happy with Moise because he's growing, he's physically better, and he makes himself available for the team above all.

"To obtain results, everyone must be available, and there seem to be good signs of this. Tomorrow will not be easy; among other things, they beat us last year."

Vlahovic has scored three goals in three Serie A appearances against Empoli, including his first league double for Juventus in February. The Serbian has also hit the net five times in five home league games this season.

Milan head coach Stefano Pioli praised the way his team played with "stubbornness and determination" after two injury-time goals from Fode Ballo-Toure and Rafael Leao gave them a 3-1 victory at Empoli.

Pioli's side went in front through Ante Rebic just over 10 minutes from time, but a superb 92nd-minute free-kick from Nedim Bajrami looked to have earned the hosts a point.

However, 105 seconds after Milan had conceded the equaliser, Ballo-Toure turned in Rade Krunic's flick-on to make it 2-1, before Leao made sure of the three points with a delicate dink over Empoli goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

The Rossoneri remain within striking distance of Serie A leaders Napoli, just three points behind, and Pioli spoke after the game of his players' team spirit.

 "I'm interested in playing with stubbornness and determination, and today we did it," he told DAZN.

"The team showed that they had mentally prepared the game well in the first half hour, but we had to score, and we didn't succeed.

"I'm happy with the team's performance. It's clear that we have to score a few more goals, and we have conceded something to a team that plays well, so that's okay.

"If we managed to break the deadlock, it would be an even more favourable situation. At some point, it was the 76th minute, and it seemed incredible to me that we were still 0-0."

The win came at a cost, though, as Davide Calabria, Simon Kjaer and Alexis Saelemaekers all went off injured.

And Pioli acknowledged how the absences were affecting his team, adding: "It is clear that the injuries have disunited us a little bit.

"I have a group of players who want to test themselves commendably, so we must also go on with injuries.

"Today we unfortunately had two muscle injuries, one who had been away with the national team and another who was not well."

Milan claimed a dramatic 3-1 victory at Empoli as two injury-time goals from Fode Ballo-Toure and Rafael Leao downed the Serie A champions' stubborn opponents.

Nedim Bajrami's 92nd-minute free-kick looked to have earned a point for Empoli after Ante Rebic had put Milan ahead in the 79th minute.

But Ballo-Toure finished in the 94th minute to puncture Empoli's resolve.

With Empoli's hopes dashed, Leao added a third to ensure Milan returned to winning ways following their defeat to Napoli last time out.