Reece James was a surprise inclusion in Chelsea's squad for the Club World Cup, travelling to Abu Dhabi on Sunday despite Thomas Tuchel saying he would miss the tournament.

A 23-man Chelsea party headed to the finals after Saturday's nervy 2-1 FA Cup win over Plymouth Argyle.

James was not expected to be among them as he recovers from a hamstring injury, with coach Tuchel saying before the Plymouth game the wing-back required "a couple of weeks" before even returning to training.

The Chelsea boss said James would not travel.

With Edouard Mendy to join his club-mates after playing for Senegal in Sunday's Africa Cup of Nations final, the Blues are missing only two first-team players.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who is dealing with a minor injury, has not made the journey, while Ben Chilwell's season has been curtailed by a serious knee issue.

For now, however, Chelsea are without Tuchel, who tested positive for coronavirus and intends to link up with his team at a later date.

Middlesbrough's reward for knocking Manchester United out of the FA Cup is a home tie with Tottenham in the fifth round.

Chris Wilder's Boro eliminated the Red Devils on Friday on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford and will now face Antonio Conte's Spurs, who beat Brighton 3-1 on Saturday.

Only one guaranteed all-Premier League tie was drawn for the fifth round with Southampton hosting West Ham after David Moyes' side survived a scare at National League North outfit Kidderminster Harriers.

Among the Premier League elite, Chelsea will travel to Luton Town,  Manchester City are away to Peterborough United, and Liverpool will welcome Norwich City to Anfield should they get past Cardiff City on Sunday.

Cup holders Leicester will be at home to Huddersfield Town if they beat Nottingham Forest, while Stoke City travel to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace.

Frank Lampard's Everton will play either Bournemouth or Boreham Wood at Goodison Park, where the former Chelsea boss got off to a tremendous start with a 4-1 win over Brentford on Saturday.

FA Cup fifth-round draw in full:

Luton Town v Chelsea, Crystal Palace v Stoke City, Peterborough United v Manchester City, Liverpool or Cardiff City v Norwich City, Southampton v West Ham, Middlesbrough v Tottenham, Nottingham Forest or Leicester City v Huddersfield Town, Everton v Bournemouth or Boreham Wood.

Ties will be played week commencing February 28.

Joe Gomez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will miss Liverpool's FA Cup fourth-round tie with Cardiff City on Sunday after testing positive for COVID-19.

The Merseyside club confirmed ahead of the game at Anfield that the players tested positive "recently" but both have already completed the required isolation period and are able to resume training.

However, neither have had enough time to prepare for the clash with the Championship side.

New signing Luis Diaz does make the squad and starts on the bench for Jurgen Klopp's men, along with the returning Harvey Elliott.

It is a particular blow to Gomez, who was expected to feature having only made 12 appearances this season, eight of which have come from the bench after recovering from a tendon injury in his left knee suffered in November 2020 that ruled him out for the remainder of the 2020-21 campaign.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has enjoyed a run in the side on the right of Liverpool's attack while Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane have been away on Africa Cup of Nations duty, scoring in wins against Brentford and Crystal Palace. Takumi Minamino replaces the former Arsenal man.

Diaz makes the bench after completing a move to the Reds from Porto last week, while Elliott returns to the squad for the first time since dislocating his ankle in the win against Leeds United in September.

Sweden striker Alexander Isak's reputation continues to grow at Real Sociedad.

The 22-year-old has netted eight goals in all competitions this season after 17 strikes in LaLiga last term.

Isak is contracted with Sociedad until 2026, meaning they are under no pressure to cash him in.

However, there appears to be plenty of interest among clubs who want to test La Real's resolve to keep him.

TOP STORY – BLUES AND RED DEVILS ENTER ISAK RACE

Chelsea and Manchester United have both joined the race to sign Real Sociedad forward Alexander Isak, according to The Mirror.

Arsenal have been keen on the 22-year-old Sweden international, who has a £75million buyout clause in his contract.

United are said to view Isak as an ideal replacement for veteran forward Cristiano Ronaldo whose future at Old Trafford is unclear.

ROUND-UP

- Juventus are bullish that they can beat Tottenham in the race to sign Roma's Nicolo Zaniolo, claims La Gazzetta dello Sport. The Bianconeri view Zaniolo as a replacement for Paulo Dybala, whose contract is running down.

- Manchester United and Liverpool have joined Real Madrid and Barcelona in keeping tabs on Serge Gnabry's contract situation at Bayern Munich, reports The Mirror. According to Sky Germany, Bayern and Gnabry are having a stand-off in discussions over an extension.

- Liverpool's deal to land Fulham's Fabio Carvalho is not dead, says Football Insider, with the two parties set for new talks with a view to an off-season switch. Calciomercato claims that Milan have also reached out to Carvalho's representatives.

- The Sun reports that Premier League giants Manchester United and Chelsea are monitoring 16-year-old Blackburn Rovers defender Ashley Phillips, with Everton and Tottenham also keeping tabs on the teenager.

Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer have leapt to the defence of the departing Niklas Sule following criticism from club legend Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

Sule confirmed earlier this week that he would exit Bayern when his current contract expires at the end of this season, despite being offered a new deal by the German champions.

The 26-year-old defender's decision led to Rummenigge stating he "never really asserting himself in his position" at Bayern.

Sule joined Bayern from Hoffenheim in 2017 and has made 159 appearances for the club, winning four Bundesliga titles and two DFB-Pokal crowns as well as the 2019-20 Champions League.

Former Bayern skipper Stefan Effenberg chimed in, adding Sule “decided against sporting success and for more money”.

"I've only read it and haven't spoken to him about it yet," Nagelsmann told Sky when asked about Rummenigge's comments.

"Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is so regarded that he can say things. In the end it is important that Niklas performs well. That's more important than interviews."

He continued: “He has a contract situation that allows him to make a change. One can understand that.

"We will have a very good central defender again next year. We have to see what's going on in the transfer market. Everyone would have liked to keep him."

Sule put in a full shift in Saturday's 3-2 win over RB Leipzig, with Bayern captain Neuer admitting his departure hurts but defending his decision to leave.

"It annoys us all that Niklas is going," Neuer told Sky . "He's a very good player, we'll miss him.

"He came from Hoffenheim, that was the way until he worked his way up to his peak performance. It's a process - and I think you can say today that it has succeeded."

He added: "When a player decides to go a different route, everyone lives their own career, you accept such decisions."

Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer have leapt to the defence of the departing Niklas Sule following criticism from club legend Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

Sule confirmed earlier this week that he would exit Bayern when his current contract expires at the end of this season, despite being offered a new deal by the German champions.

The 26-year-old defender's decision led to Rummenigge stating he "never really asserting himself in his position" at Bayern.

Sule joined Bayern from Hoffenheim in 2017 and has made 159 appearances for the club, winning four Bundesliga titles and two DFB-Pokal crowns as well as the 2019-20 Champions League.

Former Bayern skipper Stefan Effenberg chimed in, adding Sule “decided against sporting success and for more money”.

"I've only read it and haven't spoken to him about it yet," Nagelsmann told Sky when asked about Rummenigge's comments.

"Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is so regarded that he can say things. In the end it is important that Niklas performs well. That's more important than interviews."

He continued: “He has a contract situation that allows him to make a change. One can understand that.

"We will have a very good central defender again next year. We have to see what's going on in the transfer market. Everyone would have liked to keep him."

Sule put in a full shift in Saturday's 3-2 win over RB Leipzig, with Bayern captain Neuer admitting his departure hurts but defending his decision to leave.

"It annoys us all that Niklas is going," Neuer told Sky . "He's a very good player, we'll miss him.

"He came from Hoffenheim, that was the way until he worked his way up to his peak performance. It's a process - and I think you can say today that it has succeeded."

He added: "When a player decides to go a different route, everyone lives their own career, you accept such decisions."

Olivier Giroud declared that Milan "are back" after inspiring their comeback win in the derby with Inter.

Giroud scored twice to cut Inter's lead at the top of Serie A to one point - though the Nerazzurri do have a game in hand - in a 2-1 win for the Rossoneri, who had fallen behind to Ivan Perisic's first-half volley.

The France international contentiously converted from close range to equalise in the 75th minute and completed the turnaround three minutes later to stun Simone Inzaghi's side, Milan's only blemish a late red card for Theo Hernandez.

"As I said before the game, this was a special fixture. You win the derby, we were struggling in the first half, but after the break for 45 minutes we got back into it," Giroud told DAZN.

"I was hoping for one or two balls into the box, the first was a bit lucky, but the second was a fine [Davide] Calabria pass.

"I am so happy for my fans, I am proud of this team that never gave up.

"We score goals in the box, so it's true I was a bit isolated in the first half, but the whole team didn't play well and we knew that.

"We proved our great team spirit after the break and we are back!

"There's a long road ahead of us, we are still in the running, but there are many games to be played and Inter remain the leaders.

"So let’s win our matches and then see what Inter do."

Antonio Conte hailed the attitude and commitment of Harry Kane after the Tottenham captain's double in their 3-1 FA Cup over Brighton and Hove Albion.

Kane's brace, sandwiched by an own goal by Solly March and a deflected Yves Bissouma strike for Brighton, booked Tottenham's place in the fifth round.

Son Heung-min returned from a hamstring injury while Cristian Romero was back in action for Spurs following a thigh problem.

New signings Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur also came off the bench to make their debuts, leaving plenty of reasons for Conte to be satisfied.

Asked if Kane, who now has three goals in his last three games in all competitions, is returning to his best, Conte replied: "For sure we need to try to improve the players, no? And I think Harry, also in the past, when in the games that he didn't score, I liked his performance.

"Harry is a player who's scored a lot in the past as a number nine, but I think what we can appreciate - me and also the whole team - is his attitude and commitment for the team.

"I think this is the most important thing for us. Then for sure, to score two goals is important because he's number nine, he's used to scoring goals and he's also improving his... we are working on the physical condition with the team.

"We're trying to improve the intensity, also during the training sessions. I think all these situations can improve the performance with all the players.

"For sure, I'm happy for him but I'm happy for the whole team. I'm happy for Son and Romero to come back into our team. It was important."

On Son's return, Conte added: "It was good news for us. Sonny is an important player for us. He's decisive. He knows that very well.

"Today I wanted to give him 65-70 minutes because when you come back after injury, I prefer in a week when we have three games, to manage very well Son and also Romero.

"Because after serious injury, to have them back was good news but also we have to try to manage them very well and not take risks because they're important players for us."

Cameroon beat Burkina Faso on penalties to claim third place at the Africa Cup of Nations after recovering from three goals down at Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo.

The tournament hosts trailed to strikes from Steeve Yago and Djibril Ouattara, either side of an Andre Onana own goal, with 49 minutes played of Saturday's third-place play-off.

But Stephane Bahoken pulled one back and substitute Vincent Aboubakar scored twice in the space of two minutes late on to force penalties, which Cameroon edged 5-3.
 

????????

The Indomitable Lions with a MASSIVE comeback to clinch the bronze medal #TotalEnergiesAFCON2021 | #AFCON2021 | #TeamCameroon | @FecafootOfficie pic.twitter.com/Ihu951cZTL

— #TotalEnergiesAFCON2021(@CAF_Online) February 5, 2022 Cameroon made nine changes from their semi-final loss to Egypt and that told when Yago volleyed in from an Issa Kabore cross.

Onana, one of those to retain his place in the side, comically deflected Kabore's cross into his own net and Ouattara headed in a third for Burkina Faso early in the second half.

After Bahoken fired in from close range with 19 minutes to go, half-time substitute Aboubakar headed in a second Cameroon goal and then poked home a third moments later.

That led to a shoot-out and, after the first five penalties were converted, Onana denied Blati Toure to tee up Ambroise Oyongo to convert the winning kick for Cameroon.

Simone Inzaghi bemoaned Inter's 2-1 loss to fierce rivals Milan and admitted his players learned a "tough lesson" as the Scudetto title race was blown wide open.

Inter were heading seven points clear at the top of Serie A with a game in hand after Ivan Perisic's first-half volley put them in control of Saturday's Derby della Madonnina.

The Nerazzurri continued to dominate for large parts of the match and would have been further ahead if not for Mike Maignan, who pulled off four big saves in the first half.

However, Inter were punished for failing to kill off the contest when Olivier Giroud scored a quickfire double at San Siro in his first taste of this famous fixture.

Giroud slid in at the back post to level up the game on 75 minutes and added a second three minutes later, becoming the first Frenchman to score twice against Inter in Serie A.

After falling to a barely believable first home league loss since October 2020 – also against Milan – Inzaghi was left to wonder just how his side chucked away the points.

"This is football. We dominated in every way but weren't sharp at the end. They were lucky on the first goal and were smart on the second," he said.

"I saw a derby with one-way traffic for 60 minutes. In the final 25 minutes, we weren't as sharp or as in control, and the game was more open to individual incidents. 

"We know it's a defeat that hurts, but strong teams must be able to analyse their errors.

"If we played it again 10 times, we might lose it once. We all know how important the derby is; we didn't deserve to lose, but that is football.

"Until the equaliser, we had allowed Milan practically nothing. It's a tough lesson, but a valuable one to make us more determined to kill off games so this doesn't happen again."

Inter's players were unhappy that Giroud's first goal was allowed to stand as they felt that he barged into former Arsenal team-mate Alexis Sanchez earlier in the attack.

But Inzaghi accepted Inter only had themselves to blame after falling to just a second league loss to Milan – who lost Theo Hernandez to a late red card – in their last 12 meetings.

"The lads got irritated at the equaliser, as there was probably a clear foul on Alexis Sanchez and we lost our focus," he said.

"We should've scored the second goal, while Alexis Sanchez was barged off the pitch practically by Giroud on the goal.

"But the fact remains if we had taken more of our chances, [the Giroud incident] wouldn’t have mattered. It's not a problem, it was a challenge. 

"If you think it's fair, that's fine. It's not the issue – the lads lost their focus a bit after that incident and that's the problem. The referee let a lot go."

Saturday's defeat was Inter's first to Milan in the league after leading in the game since February 2004 and leaves them just one point clear, albeit with a game in hand.

Samir Handanovic, whose 30 Serie A appearances against Milan is the most of any current player against another in the competition, echoed the thoughts of his head coach.

"Today we did everything. We had the game under control and played well," he told Inter TV. "But then we lost a few too many balls and were punished. 

"There are many more games and the mistakes have to be reviewed. It must be understood why we managed the last 15 minutes like we did. 

"Sometimes you take risks and you are not punished; today we took risks and were punished."

Harry Kane scored twice as Tottenham booked their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup with a 3-1 win over Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.

The England captain got the hosts on their way with a curled effort from outside the penalty area for his 12th goal in his past 12 appearances in the competition. 

Emerson Royal's cross was then diverted into his own net by Solly March shortly after the midway point of the first half as Tottenham went in at the interval with a commanding lead. 

Yves Bissouma's deflected strike looked like it would set up a dramatic final 25 minutes, but Kane put the game to bed with a bundled finish from close range. 

Kane put Spurs ahead in the 13th minute with a sumptuous strike into Robert Sanchez's top-left corner from 22 yards after Adam Webster had lost possession cheaply.

They doubled their advantage 11 minutes later when Emerson's cross after a run from inside his own half was deflected over Sanchez by the foot of March.

Neal Maupay flashed over from a promising position inside the penalty area, yet the Seagulls never truly looked like reducing the deficit during a tepid first-half showing. 

Brighton improved dramatically after the break and they pulled a goal back in the 63rd minute when Bissouma's strike from 20 yards was deflected past Hugo Lloris by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Kane restored Spurs' two-goal cushion just three minutes later, though, prodding in from almost on the line after a mazy run from Son Heung-min had carved open the Brighton backline.

What does it mean? Brighton's sorry run in north London continues

This was Tottenham's eighth straight home win against Brighton in all competitions and it was not hard to see why they have such a strong record. 

Graham Potter's men improved in the second half, but the damage had largely been done in a first half that was characterised by constant, and incisive, Spurs attacks. 

Kane on fire 

It has not been a vintage season from Kane, but he was back to his very best here. His two goals came from a game-high five shots, while no player on the pitch made more than his two key passes. 

Sloppy Webster costs Seagulls

Webster lost possession more times than anyone else on the pitch (19), with one such moment leading to Kane's opener, while he did not cover himself in glory trying to halt Son in the build-up to Kane's second just after the Seagulls had clawed their way back into the game.

What's next?

Spurs are at home to Southampton in the Premier League on Wednesday, while Brighton return to top-flight action on Saturday when they visit strugglers Watford. 

Frank Lampard acknowledged he allowed himself to get "caught up in the emotion" of Everton beating Brentford 4-1 in his first match in charge.

Lampard was appointed as Rafael Benitez's successor on Monday, with Dele Alli and Donny van de Beek also arriving at Goodison Park.

And in stark contrast to the end of the ill-fated Benitez era, the positive momentum continued with an emphatic win in the FA Cup on Saturday, as Everton took their place in round five thanks to goals from Yerry Mina, Richarlison, Mason Holgate and Andros Townsend.

Albeit his new signings were not available, Lampard's impact on Everton's play was evident.

They had 55.77 per cent possession, a total they were only able to better twice under Benitez (both in defeats, to Brentford and Watford respectively), while on only six occasions this season have they played fewer long passes, with Lampard placing more of an emphasis on his defenders playing it into midfield.

Lampard will want an improvement on the 19 touches Everton had in Brentford's box, though Everton's duel success rate of 63.1 per cent (53/84) was their best in any game across all competitions this season, with the Toffees noticeably looking to engage higher up the pitch than they did under their former manager or interim boss Duncan Ferguson.

Everton also scored four goals in a game for the first time in 42 matches, since they did so in a 5-4 win over Tottenham in the fifth round of last season's FA Cup.

"It's been brilliant this week, very special," Lampard told a news conference.

"It's a day that I'll never forget. It's only the start in terms of my time here but I can't help but get caught up in the emotion of the moment. The way the players approached the game meant that the fans bought into it straight away. It was a very special day for me.

"I want to be the best I can be, and if the fans can see it all well and good. They want to see their manager giving everything and that's just how I work.

"I want to be there to support the players when they make passes or play through lines, or make tackles, covering distance.

"Those things are special and what we work towards. As a manager today I was proud of the performance and it did get me excited. Now I need to calm down and work towards the league games but we saw hopefully some nice signs that we can take forward."

Lampard now faces two huge Premier League games, with a trip to Newcastle United coming up on Tuesday before a home match against Leeds United. Everton sit 16th with 19 points.

Paris Saint-Germain head coach Mauricio Pochettino says finding the right balance will be key when his side face Lille on Sunday.

The Ligue 1 leaders travel to Stade Pierre-Mauroy aiming to regain their 13-point cushion at the summit of the French top-flight.

PSG are also seeking a response from their Coupe de France exit at the hands of Nice time out, when on-loan goalkeeper Marcin Bulka's penalty shoot-out heroics denied his parent club.

Reigning champions Lille, who find themselves in 11th place following a disappointing attempt at a title defence, have only lost once in their last four home games against Pochettino's side.

And though PSG are nevertheless favourites to take three points, Pochettino knows that his team cannot go full-throttle in attack in every match, even with such supreme talent at their disposal.

"We are moving forward step by step, match by match," he said.

"Of course, we are disappointed with the last result and with the elimination from the Coupe de France on penalties against Nice. We lost and we have to accept it. 

"We want to get back into the swing of things, so playing a good team like Lille is a positive thing. 

"All the teams that play against Paris Saint-Germain are very motivated, so it will be complicated. 

"We will have to find the right balance between defending well, playing and being effective; that will be the key. 

"It will be important because there are three points at stake, and we want to keep our lead over our rivals. We have to move forward, we have several objectives ahead of us that require a lot of energy."

Neymar celebrated his 30th birthday on Saturday, yet the Brazil star is still recovering from injury, while Sergio Ramos, Mauro Icardi and Georginio Wijnaldum will all miss the trip, with Keylor Navas a doubt.

Riyad Mahrez must have had mixed feelings about his starring role for Manchester City against Fulham in the FA Cup, but Pep Guardiola was eager to shower him with praise.

On Sunday, the Africa Cup of Nations final sees Egypt and Senegal go head to head, vying to succeed Algeria as champions.

This time around, Algeria put up a dismal defence of their title, with captain Mahrez unable to prevent them tumbling out after the group stage with just one point from three games.

It has meant he has been available to City perhaps sooner than anticipated, and his two goals in the 4-1 win over Fulham on Saturday showed what he brings to Guardiola's team.

Mahrez fired in a second-half penalty to move City 3-1 in front, before adding the security of the hosts' fourth goal, a shot with his weaker right foot trickling in via a touch off Fulham defender Tim Ream.

Mahrez called it a "great performance", and he has now scored in his last six appearances across all competitions for City, taking his tally for the team to 15 goals this season, his best tally for the club in a single campaign.

Guardiola was particularly pleased to see Mahrez tuck away another spot-kick, convinced now he has a player who is deadly from 12 yards.

Mahrez has converted his last seven penalties for City, and that means he is the first-choice taker, ahead of Kevin De Bruyne.

"Of course, he is a guy with a mentality to score a goal," Guardiola said in his post-match news conference.

"As a player, he has a special quality. He understands how he attracts opponents to make one against two, or one against three, and afterwards pass the ball for the free men.

"Close to the box, always you have a feeling that he has to score a goal. We have struggled a lot in the last year to take and score penalties, and now he is a guarantee.

"He is scoring every penalty he is going to take and that is important for us as well, and especially under pressure.

"You take a penalty at 4-0, and it is easy, but last season in Dortmund we were 1-0 down and he scored a penalty, and this season 1-0 [behind] against Arsenal he scored - he had the personality to say, 'Give me the ball, I'm going to score', and he did it."

Guardiola insisted he had been impressed by Championship leaders Fulham, who took a surprise early lead through Fabio Carvalho but were soon themselves trailing, as City hit the front in the 13th minute after goals from Ilkay Gundogan, who was teed up by Mahrez, and John Stones.

"Very pleased to be in the next round," said Guardiola. "This round showed us there can be many surprises, and we won against a very top team."

Manchester United lost on penalties to Middlesbrough on Friday, but City were far more clinical against second-tier opposition than their Mancunian rivals.

Since Guardiola took charge in 2016, City have won 42 domestic cup matches across the EFL Cup (20) and FA Cup (22), which is four more than the next side – Chelsea (38).

They are now on a 12-match winning run against Fulham, so as much as Guardiola made a point of saying he rated the "positional game" of Marco Silva's team, backing them for promotion, these teams remain poles apart in terms of quality.

October 17, 2020. Zlatan Ibrahimovic's double proved enough for Milan to claim a derby day victory over their great rivals, with Romelu Lukaku's goal not enough to inspire a comeback.

Much has changed in the intervening period between then and now.

Inter recovered from that defeat by going on to win the Serie A title for the first time since 2010. Yet coach Antonio Conte and talisman Lukaku have both departed for pastures new – London, to be precise, with Tottenham and Chelsea respectively.

Milan, meanwhile, finished second, 12 points behind their neighbours, but they have had a relatively settled period under Stefano Pioli. And on Saturday, the Rossoneri truly ignited the 2021-22 title race by ending Inter's domestic unbeaten streak at San Siro – a run that stretched to 28 matches in total, since that day in October 2020.

There was no Ibrahimovic for Pioli to call on this time, but another veteran forward stepped up in the form of Olivier Giroud, whose quickfire double did the damage.

Having been on the verge of going seven points clear, the incredible turnaround leaves Inter just one point above Milan, as the title battle between the two northern powerhouses looks set to go down to the wire.

Giroud brings the Z factor

Ibrahimovic is a big miss in any game, but in particular, a derby with title hopes resting on it.

The 40-year-old has scored eight Serie A goals in Milan Derbies (six for AC Milan, two for Inter) – only Giuseppe Meazza (12), Gunnar Nordahl (11) and Stefano Nyers (11) have scored more times in this fixture in the history of the competition.

For much of Saturday's clash – 75 minutes, in fact – the void in Milan's attack was evident, the Rossoneri having managed just one attempt on target, from Sandro Tonali in the first half.

But Giroud turned that on its head, first showing his poacher's instinct to prod in from Brahim Diaz's shot-cross, before holding off his marker and drilling in a low strike on the turn three minutes later.

Samir Handanovic should have done better to prevent Milan's winner, mind. Perhaps the Inter goalkeeper had been caught unawares, given his lack of action prior to the late red-and-black charge.

"Playing with him is something I see as a challenge, something that pushes me every day," Giroud said of Ibrahimovic in a recent interview.

"It's an opportunity to have him as my partner, to learn something more. He's an example for many strikers and when I was young I loved him, both on the pitch and for his strong character, and for the fact that he's demanding every day.  It's a healthy competition between us."

Giroud proved an old dog can still learn new tricks (from an older dog, that is) with his match-winning turn. The former Chelsea forward converted both of his two attempts, which came from two of his four touches in the penalty area, and a combined expected goals (xG) value of 0.8, as he became the first French player to score twice against Inter in a Serie A match.

All seven of Giroud's Serie A goals this season have come at San Siro, with those strikes coming only when he has started games (eight starts in total).

Inter's charge hits its first hurdle?

There has been a pretty seamless transition for Inter since Simone Inzaghi replaced Antonio Conte.

Edin Dzeko has come in for Lukaku, and Lautaro Martinez is still brilliant. Indeed, Inter are scoring at a similar rate to last season, netting on average every 38 minutes in the league.

Yet they more than met their match in the form of Milan, who earned a thrilling 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in November.

Inter had less possession (46 per cent) and won fewer duels (42 compared to 57), yet still created more chances (nine to seven) and had more attempts (11 to 10). They were unable to make the most of going ahead, though.

Ivan Perisic's goal – his 50th for the club – had the Nerazzurri in front by half-time but Inter have now failed to win three of their last four derby clashes, while Milan came from behind to beat them in Serie A for the first time since February 2004.

This result can hardly be considered as putting Inter into anything resembling a crisis. They have lost just two of their last 12 Serie A derbies and are still top, with a game in hand on their title rivals, though the manner of the defeat may take some coming back from.

Since the turn of the year, Inter have taken seven of the 12 points on offer and, in a title race with such fine margins (Napoli are only four points back in third), that has enabled the challengers to gain ground.

One positive for Inter, however, was a late red card for Theo Hernandez, who will face a suspension after lunging in recklessly on Denzel Dumfries.

Hernandez is one of Milan's best players, and his absence may just mean that, even though Inter lost the battle, they could go on to win the war provided they bounce back quickly.