Inter Milan’s fine season continued as they moved back to the Serie A summit after in-form Lautaro Martinez hit the only goal of the game to down Fiorentina.

It was a 22nd goal of the campaign for Martinez, who raced to the near-post to head home Kristjan Aslani’s 14th-minute corner.

Nico Gonzalez saw a second-half penalty saved as Inter secured the three points with a 1-0 win that extends their unbeaten run to 15 games.

Simone Inzaghi’s side have now 17 of their 21 Serie A games this season – equalling their previous record at this stage, set in 2006/07 under Roberto Mancini as they went on to win the league by 22 points.

Carlos Augusto thought he had given the visitors the lead with a close-range finish but was denied by brilliant defending by Davide Faraoni.

But Martinez would turn home the resulting corner, glancing a near-post header in after he had easily slipped the attention of his marker.

The Argentina World Cup winner had proved to be the match-winner last time out – his injury-time effort sealing a 1-0 win over Napoli in the Italian Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia.

Marcus Thuram could not sort his feet out when played through on goal as Inter looked to build on their lead before Yann Sommer made a fine stop to prevent Giacomo Bonaventura levelling for the home side.

Inter thought they had doubled their but had a goal ruled out for offside as Marko Arnautovic turned home from a Henrikh Mkhitaryan pass, only for the flag to go up against the Armenia international.

Fiorentina were handed a lifeline when they were awarded a controversial penalty following a lengthy VAR check for a foul against Sommer.

The Switzerland goalkeeper had punched away a cross but caught M’Bala Nzola in the face with his fist and the video assistant referee flagged the incident to the onfield official.

A spot-kick was duly awarded but Sommer would make amends as Gonzalez – on as a substitute as he returned from injury – hit a tame spot-kick that was easily saved.

It proved to be the best chance the hosts would have in attempting to rescue a result, while Inter moved back above Juventus to the summit.

Juve visit the San Siro next Sunday with just one point separating the two sides at the top of Serie A – the pair having drawn 1-1 in Turin earlier this season.

Lazio and Napoli played out a bore draw in their Serie A clash at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday evening.

Neither side could find a breakthrough and had to settle for a 0-0 draw which will not live long in the memory.

Lazio had a chance to draw level on points with fourth-placed Atalanta while Napoli missed the opportunity to leapfrog their hosts.

Gustav Isaksen missed a presentable early chance for Lazio, who thought they had taken the lead moments later.

Taty Castellanos controlled the ball on his chest before executing a perfect overhead kick and burying the chance – only for the offside flag to cancel out his wonderful finish.

Isaksen and Castellanos then combined, with the latter’s smart flick hooked away by Leo Ostigard when it looked destined for the back of the net.

Napoli saw a Gianluca Gaetano long-range shot fly wide as they struggled to create chances throughout the contest.

AC Milan blew their chance to put pressure on the two teams above them in Serie A as Riccardo Orsolini’s late penalty snatched a 2-2 draw for Bologna in an eventful clash at the San Siro.

The hosts missed two penalties of their own but still looked set to take the three points when Ruben Loftus-Cheek headed his second goal of the game with just seven minutes left on the clock.

Loftus-Cheek had earlier cancelled out an opener from Joshua Zirkzee, but Milan’s wasteful spot-kicks cost them with both Olivier Giroud and Theo Hernandez failing to convert for the third-placed side.

Play at the San Siro had been stopped in the 16th minute in support of Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, who suffered racial abuse in their match at Udinese last weekend.

Fans lit up the stadium with smartphone torches while a quote from Martin Luther King – “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that” – was shown on a big screen.

Milan were intent on a fifth straight win to close the gap on city rivals Inter, and Rafael Leao had the first real chance in the 19th minute when he fired straight at Bologna keeper Lukasz Skorupski.

But the lively visitors were rewarded for their early ambition in the 29th minute when Zirkzee lashed home a loose ball after Milan failed to clear around the edge of their box.

Milan responded through Simon Kjaer who fired over the bar from a dangerous Christian Pulisic cross, then Pulisic himself missed an opportunity after being played in by Loftus-Cheek.

Milan were awarded their first penalty in the 39th minute for a foul by Lewis Ferguson on Kjaer, but Giroud missed his chance with a soft spot-kick that was comfortably gathered by Skorupski.

But the hosts’ frustrations only lasted six minutes before Loftus-Cheek raced onto a cross from the left to grab his third goal in his last four games.

Zirkzee had two good chances to put the visitors back in front, while Tijjani Reijnders hit the woodwork before the hosts amazingly squandered another spot-kick.

With Giroud having been substituted, Theo Hernandez stepped up, but hit the post after Riccardo Calafiori had been penalised for his challenge on Leao.

Milan finally grabbed the lead for the first time in the 83rd minute when Loftus-Cheek rose highest to head past Skorupski and seemingly set his side on their way to another three points.

But there was to be a final twist and after Victor Kristiansen came close to levelling, Bologna were awarded a penalty of their own on the stroke of full-time, which Orsolini showed the hosts how it was done with a firm low strike.

Fiorentina boss Vincenzo Italiano has challenged his side to put their Supercoppa Italiana disappointment behind them by giving Inter Milan plenty to think about when they return to Serie A action.

I Viola were beaten 3-0 by Napoli in the semi-finals of the new four-team tournament held in Saudi Arabia last week, which Inter went on to win.

Italiano feels his squad can regroup to kick-start their domestic campaign as they look to maintain a challenge to finish in the top four.

“We won’t hide the fact that we’re disappointed by what we could have achieved, even if the team did what they had to do, apart from the unrepresentative result,” Italiano said.

“Now we have to project ourselves into the league with the desire, the anger and the determination to have an important journey, where we want to score points and do well, this is the objective.”

Italiano told Fiorentina club media: “What we did in the first half (of the campaign), no one can take that away from us – but the second half is always a different season.

“We need to continue to have fuel and push, facing the matches with determination because the objectives become decisive for everyone.

“We want to continue this important path in the second half also because we are in an important spot in the table and we want to stay there.”

Inter will be out to move back to the top of the table and capitalise on Juventus’ surprise 1-1 draw at home to struggling Empoli after seeing Arkadiusz Milik receive an early red card.

Italiano, though, feels Fiorentina can cause problems for Simone Inzaghi’s side at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

“It is an important match for us, it will be difficult because Inter are doing good from all points of view,” he said.

“But we are playing at home and we had the opportunity to work throughout the week on our playing principles and think of something useful to put Inter in difficulty.

“I hope it was useful for tomorrow and we will be be ready to do battle against one of the strongest teams.”

Inter have a doubt over Alessandro Bastoni ahead of Sunday’s return to Serie A action.

The defender was left on the bench for the Supercoppa Italiana final against Napoli because of a muscle problem.

Inter midfielders Nicolo Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu will be unavailable through suspension, so Davide Frattesi and Kristjan Asllani are expected to be involved.

Ten-man Juventus were held to a 1-1 draw at home to struggling Empoli after losing Arkadiusz Milik to an early red card.

The Serie A leaders were a man down before the midway point of the first half when Milik, who had hit a hat-trick on his last start in a 4-0 Coppa Italia win over Frosinone two weeks ago, was sent off following a VAR review for a late studs-up challenge.

Dusan Vlahovic fired Juventus in front with his fifth goal in three games at the start of the second half, but Tommaso Baldanzi equalised for Empoli as the hosts’ seven-match winning run in all competitions came to an end.

Juventus went close after only six minutes as Vlahovic, who had scored a brace in each of his side’s last two games, forced Elia Caprile to tip his free-kick around a post.

But they were stunned after 18 minutes when his fellow striker Milik was sent off.

The Poland international was initially booked after appearing to catch Alberto Cerri high on the ankle with his studs when he slid in for a challenge, but the yellow was upgraded to red following a review.

Juventus were happy to sit back now they were a man down and Nicolo Cambiaghi saw a deflected effort saved by Wojciech Szczesny, who also comfortably dealt with Emmanuel Gyasi’s header.

The hosts had a golden chance to take a lead just before the break when Gyasi gifted the ball to Fabio Miretti, who burst through on goal but failed to hit the target.

However, they struck five minutes after the break.

Empoli failed to deal with a corner swung over from the right and the ball dropped for Vlahovic, who spun and slammed home a left-foot volley from close range.

The hosts threatened again when Vlahovic sent a pass into Andrea Cambiaso, who slipped when he looked set to run through on goal.

But second-bottom Empoli, the lowest scorers in the division, levelled in the 70th minute when substitute Baldanzi fired a long-range effort into the bottom corner.

The equaliser gave the visitors renewed belief and they pressed for a winner, with Szczesny forced to push away Cambiaghi’s effort.

But neither side could find one as Juventus had to settle for a two-point lead at the top of the table, although closest rivals Inter Milan have two games in hand.

Leander Dendoncker could be handed his debut for Napoli when they return to Serie A action against Lazio, but Victor Osimhen’s future looks set to be elsewhere next season.

Midfielder Dendoncker has joined the Partenopei on loan from Aston Villa for the rest of the season to bolster Walter Mazzarri’s options.

The defending Serie A champions continue to struggle for consistency, sitting down in ninth place, and were beaten by Inter in the Italian Supercoppa final in Riyadh, where Giovanni Simeone was sent off.

Nigeria international Osimhen is away on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Despite signing a contract extension which runs until June 2026 and is said to have a release clause of around £112million, last season’s Serie A top scorer continues to be linked with a move away.

Osimhen has already said he already has a plan on his “next step to do at the end of the season”.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis confirmed 25-year-old Osimhen was set to leave.

“We have known it since last summer – otherwise, the negotiation to extend would not have been so long,” De Laurentiis told Italian media.

“We already knew he would join Real Madrid, PSG or a Premier League club.”

Poland midfielder Piotr Zielinski is another player expected to leave Napoli in the summer, with Inter a reported likely destination.

Lazio were also involved in the Italian Super Cup, which was held in Saudi Arabia, and were beaten 3-0 by Inter in the semi-final.

Maurizio Sarri’s side return to Serie A action looking to keep up the pressure in the push for the European places.

Lazio will be without forward Mattia Zaccagni and captain Ciro Immobile through suspensions

Centre-back Patric has been carrying a shoulder problem, so Mario Gila could again come into the defence.

As well as missing Simeone, Napoli have Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Jens Cajuste serving suspensions.

Belgian forward Cyril Ngonge could feature following his recent move from Verona.

Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri insists his side will face a “good challenge” when they take on struggling Empoli.

Juve are top of Serie A after losing just once in the competition all season and recording five straight wins following a 1-1 draw at Genoa in mid-December.

In contrast, Empoli are 19th in the table after four wins and four draws from 21 games, although their most recent match saw Szymon Zurkowski’s hat-trick secure a 3-0 win over Monza in Davide Nicola’s first game in charge.

“It’s an important match tomorrow,” Allegri told a pre-match press conference.

“We are well physically and mentally, but a good challenge awaits us too. Empoli deserves respect, they have quality players and coach Nicola’s arrival has given them solidity, so it won’t be an easy match.”

Juve can extend their lead over Inter Milan at the top of the table to four points on Saturday, with Simone Inzaghi’s side not in action until a trip to Fiorentina on Sunday.

The top two sides then meet at the San Siro on February 4 in a game which could go a long way to deciding the destiny of the Scudetto, although Allegri is not ruling out the challenge of AC Milan.

“After Inter-Juventus there are still many games to play, and let’s not forget Milan who scored more points than last year, have overcome a difficult period and can get back into the title race,” he added.

“The important thing is to stay balanced, keep the bar high and try to provide continuity.

“The Scudetto-winning points tally? It’s difficult to say right now, we’re up against a strong team in Inter who are favourites and have scored a lot of points. Being close to them is a great thing given that we’re on a different path.”

Federico Chiesa remains sidelined through injury and Allegri said he will decide whether to play or rest captain Danilo.

New signing Tiago Djalo has been assessed by the club’s medical staff after completing his move from Lille, the 23-year-old having not played since suffering an ACL injury last March.

“I feel good. My knee is fine,” Djalo said on Thursday. “Now it’s a question of opportunity. I’m ready. I’ll give everything for the team.

“I trained with the squad yesterday and this morning. My knee is recovering well. We’ll decide with the coach what to do. I’m very calm about it.

“I’ve come here to take an opportunity and make myself available to the coach. I know I have the attributes needed to help out. It’s just a matter of getting opportunities.”

AC Milan defender Alessandro Florenzi believes the time for talking about racist abuse in football is over and has called for “concrete action” to tackle the issue.

Milan’s players walked off the pitch during last Saturday’s 3-2 Serie A victory Udinese after goalkeeper Mike Maignan had reported gestures from the crowd behind his goal to referee Fabio Maresca.

The Udine club, which has banned one spectator for life as a result of the incident, have since been ordered to play their next home game behind closed doors, while police have handed out five-year bans to four more supporters.

However, asked about the events at the Bluenergy Stadium and the fall-out since, Florenzi told Milan TV: “I think that Mike has felt supported by a family, which is exactly what we are.

“When these incidents occur, I think it’s wrong to just say ‘enough’. The time for talk has long gone, concrete action is needed.

“Saying ‘enough’ is pointless. We need to lay solid foundations to tackle the issue. That’s what all institutions should do to stop such incidents occurring.

“As a team, I think we made an important gesture. I’d also like to commend the referee, Maresca, who I think dealt with the situation in the best way possible.”

Milan return to action on Saturday evening, when they host seventh-placed Bologna at the San Siro.

They head into the weekend sitting third in the table, but five points adrift of derby rivals Inter, who are second with a game in hand on both their neighbours and leaders Juventus.

Milan have won their last four league games and have tasted defeat only once in the nine fixtures they have played in all competitions since.

In contrast, Bologna are without a win in four in all competitions and have not collected all three points in Serie A since they beat fifth-placed Atalanta 1-0 on December 23.

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Florenzi said: “We’re building our path and taking it game by game. We’re focused on Bologna and not thinking about other matches and other teams.”

Bologna will once again be without the injured Alexis Saelemaekers and are working to get 20-year-old defender Mihajlo Ilic up to speed following his arrival from Partizan Belgrade, and head coach Thiago Motta knows they will have their work cut out at the San Siro.

He told a press conference: “They [Milan] are one of the candidates for the Scudetto, they always start very strongly.

“On Saturday we will have to try to impose our game, trying to be determined about what we want to do.”

Aston Villa’s Leander Dendoncker has joined Napoli on loan for the rest of the season.

The midfielder moves to the defending Serie A champions as they struggle to retain their title, sitting ninth and 21 points off leaders Juventus.

He has made 15 appearances for Villa this season, scoring once, having joined from Wolves in 2022.

Aston Villa’s Leander Dendoncker has joined Napoli on loan for the rest of the season.

The midfielder moves to the defending Serie A champions as they struggle to retain their title, sitting ninth and 21 points off leaders Juventus.

He has made 15 appearances for Villa this season, scoring once, having joined from Wolves in 2022.

Napoli midfielder Alessio Zerbin has joined Serie A rivals Monza on loan for the remainder of the season.

The 24-year-old Italy international has made nine appearances for the club this season, but only two starts and will hope for more regular football at the U-Power Stadium.

A statement on Napoli’s official website said: “SSC Napoli can confirm that Alessio Zerbin has joined AC Monza on loan until 30 June 2024.”

Zerbin, who has one senior cap for Italy, began his career with Inter Milan’s academy and joined Napoli in January 2017.

He has since had loan spells with Viterbese Castrense, Cesena, Pro Vercelli and Frosinone, but was part of the Napoli squad which won the league title last season.

His arrival at Monza was confirmed by the club on its official website.

A statement said: “Alessio Zerbin is officially an AC Monza player. Welcome Alessio!”

Four individuals who racially abused AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan during a Serie A match at the weekend have been given five-year stadium bans by Italian police.

AC Milan players briefly left the pitch during their match away to Udinese on January 20 after alerting referee Fabio Maresca to the abuse being directed at their goalkeeper.

On Wednesday, the office of Udine police commissioner Alfredo D’Agostino announced that four people had been identified using security cameras from the stadium.

“There are four people, three men and one woman, aged between 32 and 45, against whom the police commissioner of Udine has issued banning orders for the duration of five years,” a statement said.

A five-year ban is the maximum penalty that can be handed to first-time offenders for racist abuse at football matches in Italy.

Udinese announced on Monday that one fan had been banned for life over the incident, and the club had said that any other offenders who were identified would face the same penalty.

On Tuesday, the club were ordered to play one match behind closed doors by Serie A’s sports judge, Gerardo Mastrandrea.

That judgement said the one-match stadium closure was the minimum sanction which could have been imposed, and was chosen to reflect Udinese’s active stance and willingness right from the start to identify those responsible.

Speaking after the game, which restarted after a delay of around 10 minutes, Maignan told Milan TV: “I heard them making monkey noises.

“After it happened a second time, I went to the dugout to inform them of what had happened behind the goal.

“This shouldn’t exist in the world of football, but unfortunately for many years this is a recurrence. We all have to react, we must do something because you can’t play like this.”

Udinese have been ordered to play one match behind closed doors after AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan was racially abused during a Serie A match on Saturday.

The sanction has been imposed by the league’s sports judge, Gerardo Mastrandrea.

The judgement states the one-match stadium closure was the minimum sanction which could have been imposed, and was chosen to reflect Udinese’s active stance and willingness right from the start to identify those responsible.

The club announced on Monday they had banned a supporter for life for racially abusing Maignan.

Italy’s all-time top goalscorer Gigi Riva has died aged 79.

Riva scored 35 goals in 42 appearances for Italy and was a member of the squad which won the 1968 European Championship and lost in the 1970 World Cup final to Brazil.

He was also a prolific goalscorer for Cagliari, leading the Sardinian club to their only Serie A title in 1970.

Cagliari said: “He was the greatest of them all. Without comparisons or possible comparisons. The best Italian striker in history. And one of the deadliest gunners who ever lived. His name was Gigi Riva, also known as Rombo di Tuono.

“A formidable footballer, an upright sportsman, a bearer of crystalline values and principles. A true legend, a timeless myth. An icon of Sardinia, his adopted land, to which he was bound by visceral love. He passed away today at the age of 79. A sad day for us and for all of world football.”

A minute’s applause was held at the start of the second half of the Italian Super Cup final between Inter Milan and Napoli in Saudi Arabia.

Current Cagliari boss Claudio Ranieri paid his own tribute.

He told the club website: “It’s the news I never wanted to hear. It caught me off guard, shocked, I’m speechless. Gigi’s passing leaves an unfillable void in all of us.”

The in-form Dusan Vlahovic struck twice in the second half as Juventus moved to the top of Serie A with a 3-0 victory over Lecce.

Juventus were frustrated for much of the first half as they looked for their fifth successive victory in the league.

The away side had to wait until the hour mark before Vlahovic made his mark on the game. He quickly added another for his 11th goal of the campaign, and second successive brace, and Gleison Bremer’s late header added the icing on the cake to lift Juventus above Inter Milan at the summit.

Juventus could have opened the scoring in the first minute after Vlahovic got on the end of a cross but could not quite guide his first-time effort on target.

Lecce threatened five minutes in as Nikola Krstovic found himself in space on the edge of the area but shot just wide.

Juventus were next to go close in the 13th minute but Filip Kostic’s strike from just inside the area kept rising over the bar. Krstovic found himself with another chance but once again lifted an effort over the crossbar.

Juventus created the first chance of the second period when an inswinging corner found the head of Weston McKennie but he nodded straight at keeper Wladimiro Falcone, who was comfortably able to deal with the danger.

The away side were having a little more joy breaking down the Lecce defence in the second period and had another chance a couple of minutes later but Vlahovic guided his diving header just wide of the far post.

Juventus broke the deadlock on the hour mark when Andrea Cambiaso lifted the ball into the box and Vlahovic volleyed into the ground and into the back of the net to make it 1-0.

Juve doubled their advantage in the 68th minute as Kostic’s cross was lifted towards McKennie at the back post, who headed across for Vlahovic to tap home his second of the evening.

The visitors claimed their 16th win of the season and added a third goal in the 85th minute when Samuel Iling-Junior’s free-kick found Bremer, who bulleted a header past Falcone.