Inter handed Serie A leaders Napoli their first defeat of the campaign as Hakan Calhanoglu recorded a goal and an assist in a 3-2 home victory on Sunday.

Napoli had not scored in any of their past four away league games against the Nerazzurri but Piotr Zielinski netted their first since April 2017 after 17 minutes to open the scoring at San Siro.

Calhanoglu soon levelled from the penalty spot before assisting Ivan Perisic's header that put Inter into the lead before the interval.

Lautaro Martinez added a third just after the hour mark and, despite a wonderful strike from substitute Dries Mertens, the reigning champions triumphed to close the gap on Milan and Napoli to four points at the summit, ending the visitors' 21-match unbeaten Serie A run in the process.

Martinez headed over as the highest scorers in the division looked to strike first against a defence that had conceded just four goals this term.

However, it was Napoli who took the lead when Zielinski arrowed into the top-right corner from the edge of the area following Lorenzo Insigne's offload.

That advantage lasted all of eight minutes as Calhanoglu rolled his spot-kick into the bottom-left corner after VAR deemed Kalidou Koulibaly to have handled Nicolo Barella's effort.

Calhanoglu turned provider for Inter's second as Perisic flicked the Turkey international's corner past David Ospina a minute before half-time.

Napoli's task mounted further when Martinez drilled into the bottom-left corner after Joaquin Correa's pass on the counter.

Inter seemed set for a comfortable victory until Mertens fired into the top-left corner after Koulibaly dispossessed Edin Dzeko, though the hosts managed to cling on thanks to Samir Handanovic tipping Mario Rui's late header onto the crossbar.

Simone Inzaghi is hopeful that Inter can reach an agreement with midfielder Marcelo Brozovic over a new contract.

Croatia international Brozovic is due to become a free agent at the end of the season and has been linked with the likes of Manchester United, Tottenham and Newcastle United.

While Nicolo Barella and Lautaro Martinez have recently signed new deals, fresh terms have yet to be reached with Brozovic as the January transfer window draws nearer.

According to reports from Italy, Inter directors Giuseppe Marotta, Piero Ausilio and Dario Baccin met with the 29-year-old's representatives earlier this week.

Inzaghi was unable to provide an update on Brozovic's future at a news conference on Saturday, but the Inter head coach says his bosses are aware of his thoughts.

"Marcelo is a great footballer," Inzaghi said ahead of Sunday's home clash with Napoli. "He's been here for many years and he's always doing great things.

"Our managers are here every day and they are the ones who discuss these issues. They know what I feel about the player."

Brozovic's importance was clear to see in last term's Scudetto-winning campaign when featuring in 33 of Inter's 38 Serie A games.

He has started all 12 league games this term and ranks first among Inter players for passes (755) and successful passes (696), while only Barella (17) has won more tackles than Brozovic's 11.

The former Dinamo Zagreb midfielder is in line to start again when Inter welcome Napoli to San Siro.

Napoli entered the weekend top of Serie A after going unbeaten through their opening 12 matches, with their last league loss coming 22 games ago against Juventus in April.

Reigning champions Inter are seven points behind their opponents and are winless in four league games this season against sides that finished in the top seven last time out.

"It'll be a very important game for our position in the table," said Inzaghi, who has lost seven of his previous 10 managerial matches against Napoli.

"Courage and motivation can make the difference. We have done well in Serie A and the Champions League. 

"We're only two points off our position at this stage last season, but it's also true that Milan and Napoli are having the kind of start we hadn’t seen in Serie A for 40 years.

"We deserved more against Atalanta, Juventus and Milan, only getting three draws, so we need to do more from tomorrow in the head-to-head clashes. The time has come to win these games."

Simone Inzaghi believes Inter deserved all three points in their 1-1 derby draw with Milan on Sunday.

Hakan Calhanoglu – who joined the blue half of Milan from the red side on a free transfer in July – won and then converted an early spot-kick to put the Rossoneri ahead.

The Turkey international became the fourth player to score in his first Milan derby in Serie A after having played the previous encounter with the opposing team (since 1994-95), after Hernan Crespo (2006), Ronaldo (2007) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (2010).

Inter were pegged back soon after as Stefan de Vrij scored an own goal – the first in a Milan derby since Samir Handanovic's in December 2017.

The Nerazzurri were handed a second penalty in the first half, but Ciprian Tatarusanu saved Lautaro Martinez's strike from 12 yards to keep his side level. 

Martinez has now missed three of the last six penalties he has taken in all competitions for Inter.

"The glass is half-empty because we had so many chances and missed a penalty, so in my view we deserved far more," Inzaghi told DAZN.

"We were up against a great team who are deservedly [joint-] top of the table. We're behind them in terms of progress, but there is time to get back on track and performances like this will give us confidence.

"Over the past six games we drew with Juventus and Milan when we probably deserved to win. Milan and Napoli are keeping up a remarkable tempo, but there's a long way to go and we are up there.

"We wanted to give our fans a victory and I feel we did enough to deserve it. The tempo was very high and both teams probably could have done a lot better on a technical level, but it was intense.

"Milan are a very technical side, so you have to tire them out, make them move. We did well in the opening 20 minutes and generally I think we deserved more, we only struggled a little in the final 15 minutes."

Despite Calhanoglu having already scored from the spot, Inzaghi said he had no issues with Martinez stepping up to – unsuccessfully – take Inter's second penalty of the game.

"Our penalty takers are Martinez and Calhanoglu, while Ivan Perisic can take them too," the head coach added. "Hakan asked to take the first, Lautaro took the second.

"It's between them to decide, we know how those moments work."

Inzaghi also provided an update on Nicolo Barella, Edin Dzeko and Alessandro Bastoni, who were substituted with apparent injuries in the second half.

"Barella felt a twinge and asked for the substitution," he explained. "I had a few issues with Dzeko and Bastoni in the first half, so naturally playing with this tempo and so often, the muscles are under strain. Hopefully they are nothing serious."

Simone Inzaghi says Inter's "destiny is in our hands" after a 3-1 victory over Sheriff moved them up to second in Champions League Group D. 

Marcelo Brozovic, Milan Skriniar and Alexis Sanchez were on target for the Serie A side at the Bolshaya Sportivnaya Arena, while Adama Traore scored a late consolation for the hosts. 

The result meant Inter leapfrogged the Moldovan side into second, two points adrift of leaders Real Madrid. 

After victory over Sheriff at San Siro a fortnight ago, Inter have now recorded back-to-back Champions League wins for the first time since winning their opening two of the 2018-19 campaign. 

"Let's say that this evening we improved our position in the group, now our destiny is in our hands and we must go into the last two games with great concentration," Inzaghi told Mediaset Infinity. 

"There was the risk after 10 or 12 chances that we'd get frustrated and frenetic, but instead the lads were always sharp and focused. We made it seem simple, but don't forget Sheriff beat Real Madrid in Madrid and also Shakhtar Donetsk. This gives us more confidence." 

Inzaghi's attention now turns to his first Derby della Madonnina against Milan on Sunday, with Inter looking to inflict a first Serie A defeat of the season on their rivals. 

"We know what awaits us, it means a lot to our fans and the club," he added. "We must prepare it in the best way with just three days to get ready. 

"It's a long flight back to Italy, but we will try to recoup that physical and above all psychological energy." 

Brozovic shared Inzaghi's sentiments, saying going back to Italy with maximum points was all that mattered. 

"Now we control our own destiny," Brozovic, who scored his first Champions League goal in his 27th appearance in the competition, told Sky Sport Italia. 

"The only thing that mattered today was winning. We played really well, attacked and did not allow any counter-attacks. 

"The coach said a few things [at half-time], we needed to move the ball quicker and then we'd 100 per cent score a goal." 

Joaquin Correa felt his persistence paid off after scoring both goals in Inter's 2-0 win over Udinese.

Despite controlling possession in the Serie A clash, Simone Inzaghi's third-placed side had to be patient for the breakthrough at San Siro on Sunday.

It finally arrived on the hour mark courtesy of Correa's marvellous strike and the Argentina international doubled the lead with a clinical finish just eight minutes later.

On just his third start for the club - and first at San Siro - the Lazio loanee took his tally to four for the season since arriving from the Biancocelesti.

And the forward believes he and his team-mates reaped the rewards for their patience.

"It was a very complicated game and it was so important to get the three points," he told Sky Sport Italia.

"There were very few spaces, but we never stopped playing our football.

"Unfortunately, injuries slowed my progress this season, but I am getting back in shape and will try to help the team any way I can.

"Things weren't going well for me in the first half today either, but I never stopped trying. 

"Now, we have to continue along this path, because everyone in the team wants the same thing."

Following a second successive clean sheet, head coach Inzaghi feels that was testament to the balance within his side.

"This was not a simple game, as we know Udinese are a physical side who closed down the spaces," he said.

"The lads didn't have much time to prepare, but we worked really hard and must continue after two consecutive victories with clean sheets.

"We have excellent defenders, but a clean sheet depends on balance throughout the team and not just the defenders."

Danilo D'Ambrosio and Federico Dimarco were on target as Inter returned to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over 10-man Empoli on Wednesday.

Simone Inzaghi's side had stuttered in Serie A in recent weeks, losing to Lazio and drawing with Juventus before this trip to Empoli.

However, D'Ambrosio broke the deadlock in the first half, scoring in a seventh consecutive top-flight campaign, and Samuele Ricci's dismissal for a reckless challenge after the break eased Inter's task.

Dimarco capitalised to make sure of the points and consolidate the Nerazzurri's third-place position.

Petar Stojanovic's speculative long-range effort had brought the first save of the contest from Samir Handanovic, before Dimarco tried his luck from a similar distance and was denied by Guglielmo Vicario.

The Empoli goalkeeper was powerless 11 minutes before the break, when D'Ambrosio headed into the bottom-left corner following Alexis Sanchez's dinked pass.

Nicolo Barella almost doubled Inter's lead on the stroke of half-time but blasted against the woodwork, before Ricci received a straight red card for a dangerous sliding challenge on the Nerazzurri midfielder after the interval.

Roberto Gagliardini then headed onto the left-hand post and Martinez was denied by a wonderful Vicario stop, either side of Sanchez's close-range finish being chalked off for offside.

Dimarco eventually added a second in the 66th minute, tapping in Martinez's low cross at the back post, although the visitors could have won by more, with two more goals ruled out. Gagliardini was penalised for handball and Stefano Sensi was flagged in the closing stages.

Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi claimed a penalty was the only way Juventus were going to score against his side after Sunday's 1-1 draw in Serie A's first Derby d'Italia of the season.

Inter were held by rivals Juve at San Siro, the first time since April 2019 the two teams have shared the points in the league as Massimiliano Allegri's fast-improving side earned another point in their recovery after a poor start to the 2021-22 campaign.

Edin Dzeko's first-half strike – his seventh goal in nine top-flight outings, as many as he scored in 27 appearances last term – was cancelled out by Paulo Dybala's late penalty, his 18th converted spot-kick in his last 20 attempts.

Inter substitute Denzel Dumfries was adjudged by VAR to have fouled Alex Sandro for Juve's 89th-minute penalty, a decision that infuriated Inzaghi so much he was sent off by referee Maurizio Mariani for throwing the ball away.

After the game, Inzaghi was still furious as he felt defending champions the Nerazzurri deserved all three points but did offer his apologies for his reaction.

"It was the only way in my opinion we could concede," Inzaghi told DAZN with Inter third and seven points behind Napoli and Milan, while Juve are three pointers further back. "We led the game from start to finish, we didn't concede anything to Juventus.

"They are two points thrown away that do not please me. The referee is there two metres away, he says that everything is fine and then he is called back. Sorry for the fans, we deserved more."

Inzaghi was then asked if Dumfries' infringement was avoidable and added: "I think so because we were clearly in numerical superiority close to the ball.

"We were never under pressure, we controlled from start to finish. I admit my gesture was not a good image to portray, but I felt in that moment it was not a VAR incident.

"As a coach, at the 89th minute of a game like that, with the referee right there waving play on, it's natural you’re going to get a bit angry the way I did."

Meanwhile, Allegri – who had previously won all three away league meetings against Inzaghi – was satisfied with a point as his side extended their unbeaten run to 10 games across all competitions.

"Before the draw, we had some actions where we didn't close and they were situations where we could have done better," Allegri started to DAZN post-match.

"We played with more confidence against Inter, it's an important point and allows us to have the possibility - even if we have to win - to increase the streak and then to nibble a few points before the break.

"But on Wednesday against Sassuolo we need to win. The match was beautiful, fought on a physical level and with good technical plays. We must improve in closing the action."

However, Allegri still implored Juve to improve after conceding 11 times in their opening nine Serie A matches – the first time they have done so since 1992-93.

"It depends on the first three games where we left eight points out of nine and it influenced us a bit," Allegri responded about Juve's form.

"We had to start from the basics, or rather from a good defensive position.

"We need to work on this, it's a matter of self-esteem. if we are aggressive in front, they play with a pipe in their mouth in the back."

Paulo Dybala's late penalty cancelled out Edin Dzeko's first-half strike as Inter were held by Juventus 1-1 in Sunday's Derby d'Italia clash in Serie A.

The Bianconeri started this term poorly – going winless in their first three top-flight games – but had responded well with a four-match winning run before travelling to Inter, who were facing consecutive league defeats for the first time since March 2020.

However, it was Dzeko who opened the scoring after 17 minutes at San Siro with his eighth goal of the season as the division's early top scorers added their 24th goal of the term.

Juve's nine-match unbeaten run across all competitions seemed destined to end but Dybala's late penalty, aided by a VAR decision that infuriated Simone Inzaghi so much he was sent off for his reaction, ensured Massimiliano Allegri's men left Milan with a point.

Samir Handanovic produced a fine double save to deny Alvaro Morata and Alex Sandro in the opening stages after Milan Skriniar had headed narrowly wide for Inter.

Hakan Calhanoglu then curled against the right-hand post before Dzeko converted on the rebound from close range – his fifth Serie A goal in just four home appearances so far this campaign.

Juan Cuadrado fired wide at the other end and Leonardo Bonucci sliced off target on the stroke of half-time as Juve looked to respond.

Dzeko flicked wide after the interval as he sought to extend Inter's lead before Ivan Perisic skewed over Wojciech Szczesny's goal just after the hour mark.

Substitute Dybala's free-kick was then beaten away by Handanovic before the Argentina international converted from the spot to score a late equaliser following Denzel Dumfries' foul on Alex Sandro, which was picked up by VAR.

Inter were labelled as favourites to win the Serie A title by Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri, and Simone Inzaghi took the compliment in his stride.

The Nerazzurri host Juventus in the Derby d'Italia on Sunday, with three points separating the sides in the standings.

Inter are behind Milan and a Napoli side who have made a flying start to the campaign, winning all eight matches.

However, Allegri insisted in his pre-match news conference on Saturday that Inter were still the favourites, despite having lost coach Antonio Conte, star striker Romelu Lukaku and full-back Achraf Hakimi over the close season.

Inzaghi responded by accepting Allegri's flattery, though the Inter boss does not agree with his Juventus counterpart.

"The championship is at the beginning," Inzaghi told a news conference. "It's a very important match between two very competitive teams.

"If [Allegri] says so, a coach I respect so much, it's nice. I could say the same about them, Napoli, Milan and more.

"We want to be favourites and we will try to do our best."

Juve come into Sunday's fixture on the back of a four-match winning run in Serie A, while Inter lost 3-1 at Lazio last time out in the league.

The Turin giants are also expected to be able to welcome back forward Paulo Dybala, who has been out for almost a month due to injury.

"Of course, Juventus are our historical rivals," Inzaghi said. "We will have to do well to make the match ours. They have recovered all their players, they have excellent results and we must give them great attention.

"We have always held our ground and lost only two games despite playing well, even deserving a different result.

"The progress is good, we have slowed down for a moment, but we are aware and play excellent football."

Simone Inzaghi was left anguished after his first Serie A defeat as Inter boss came at his former club Lazio, admitting: "We lost our heads."

A 3-1 setback came after a flurry of second-half goals from the home side in Rome, with the defending champions knocked out of their stride late on by a moment of controversy.

With Inter's Federico Dimarco down, apparently injured, Lazio played on and got the 81st-minute goal that put them 2-1 ahead, Felipe Anderson netting from close range after Ciro Immobile's strike was parried by Samir Handanovic.

Inter were furious and both sides had two players booked as bickering on the pitch threatened to spill over. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic sealed the points in stoppage time with a fine header, ending Inter's seven-game unbeaten start to the league campaign.

Inzaghi's new team took the lead against his former charges when Ivan Perisic converted an early penalty, but Lazio had a spot-kick in the 64th minute after Patric's header from a corner was handled by Alessandro Bastoni. Immobile tucked away that chance and the comeback gathered momentum from there.

The result rankled with Inzaghi, who said afterwards: "That was our best recent performance, but when a team like ours is a goal up, we have to manage the game better in terms of our final ball and double our lead."

Quoted on the official Inter website, he added: "Unfortunately, they scored their equaliser from a corner that we shouldn't have conceded. From that point on, the game changed and Lazio got back into the contest.

"The second goal was a bit strange and we lost our heads, which is something we can't allow to happen. It's disappointing. It's a setback that we didn't need in terms of our league position, but we'll take the performance and move on."

Inter sit third in the Serie A standings, behind Napoli and Milan, and their next league clash sees them face Juventus on Sunday of next weekend.

"When you face sides like Lazio, you can't give them a chance to get back into the match," Inzaghi said. "We managed the contest particularly well for an hour, but we then let our opponents back into the game and paid the consequences."

Lazio head coach Maurizio Sarri said Inter should have put the ball out of play themselves when they had an opportunity after Dimarco went to ground.

Sarri was also dismayed to see Luiz Felipe, who had an excellent game in central defence, red-carded after the final whistle.

Luiz Felipe, in celebration mode, jumped on his former Lazio team-mate Joaquin Correa, who left for Inter in August. Correa did not see the funny side and Luiz Felipe was in tears after being dismissed.

"Luiz Felipe told me he was saying goodbye to Correa, they played together for a long time. They didn't want to fight," said Sarri. "It's a big misunderstanding."

Lazio scored twice late on as they came from behind to beat Inter 3-1 and end Simone Inzaghi's unbeaten start in Serie A with his new club.

Ivan Perisic opened the scoring from the spot after just 12 minutes at the Stadio Olimpico, before Lazio's Ciro Immobile equalised with a penalty of his own after the break.

Controversy followed as Felipe Anderson tapped in on the rebound from Immobile's strike with nine minutes remaining, with Inter's Federico Dimarco seemingly down on the ground and injured in the build-up to the goal.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic added a third with a late header as Inter's unbeaten start to their title defence, under the guidance of former Lazio boss Inzaghi, abruptly ended. The result leaves them four points behind leaders Napoli, who host Torino on Sunday.

Lazio's Luiz Felipe was red-carded after the full-time whistle for an altercation with former team-mate Joaquin Correa as tempers flared after the conclusion of the game.

Simone Inzaghi is unsure what type of reception he will receive when Inter travel to Lazio this weekend but is excited to return to his former home.

The 45-year-old replaced Scudetto-winning boss Antonio Conte at San Siro in June, a week after bringing an end to his five-year spell in charge of Lazio.

In the three points for a win era, nobody has managed more Serie A games for Lazio than Inzaghi (197), while only Sven-Goran Eriksson has a better points-per-game return (1.9 compared to 1.82) among those to have managed at least 50 matches.

Inzaghi had previously spent 11 years with the Biancocelesti in his playing days and six years working as coach of the youth team.

After winning the Coppa Italia in 2019 and guiding Lazio back into the Champions League last term, when they reached the last 16, Inzaghi's unexpected departure to take over at Inter did not go down well with some fans of the Rome club.

According to reports from Italy, the relationship between Inzaghi and Lazio president Claudio Lotito has still not been repaired, but the Inter boss is looking forward to walking out at the Stadio Olimpico.

"It's not a match like the others. For me it's a return to my home of 22 years," Inzaghi said at Friday's pre-match news conference.

"It will be a great thrill to see the lads who have always given everything for me and the people behind the scenes who were always special.

"In addition, I'll get to see the Lazio fans, who have been very important for me. We have celebrated and suffered together in these years, reaching great targets that haven't been achieved for a long time.

"I know there will be boos and applause, but it's part of the job. I will accept them. They know that I have always given everything."

Asked about his relationship with Lotito, five months on from exiting Lazio, Inzaghi replied: "A lot has been said and heard, but I think he and [sporting director Igli] Tare have been very important for my coaching career.

"Thanks to them I coached Lazio. I will never stop thanking them, knowing that we integrated well and achieved great results."

Inzaghi was succeeded at Stadio Olimpico by Maurizio Sarri, who has won three, drawn two and lost two of his first seven Serie A games in charge.

Lazio are unbeaten in their last 16 home matches in the Italian top flight, winning 14 of those in what is their longest such run since 2002.

And Inzaghi has been impressed by Sarri's work since taking on the job in the Italian capital.

"I think Lazio have played some excellent games," Inzaghi said. "They are a very well-built team. A new coach has arrived and he's very good at organising the teams.

"They are playing excellent games, but they lost the last one and therefore they will be angry and will want to play well."

Inzaghi confirmed that Chile pair Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal will not be involved due to returning late from international duty, while Argentina's Lautaro Martinez will be monitored ahead of Saturday's game.

After two weeks off, Lazio face a gruelling run of matches that will also see them face Marseille in the Europa League before league games with Hellas Verona, Fiorentina and Atalanta in the next fortnight.

Sarri is not happy with the congested fixture list and suggested money now takes priority over player welfare.

"We trained for two weeks in reduced ranks, it's difficult to evaluate," Sarri said at a news conference.

"This is the current state of football; maybe it doesn't belong to me anymore. Every month we play seven games in 19 days and then we are 11 days without players.

"In practice they train more in the national team than with the club. We are not looking at football as a sport but a show where you try to squeeze out money everywhere. Maybe I’m too old for all this."

Edin Dzeko has scored six goals in his first seven Inter league appearances, matching Ronaldo's haul from the 1997-98 season, and the striker is brimming with confidence after his fine start.

The 35-year-old came off the bench in the second half of the Nerazzurri's 2-1 Serie A away victory over Sassuolo on Saturday.

Inter were trailing, but Dzeko equalised less than a minute after his introduction and then earned the penalty that Lautaro Martinez converted to win the game.

Dzeko joined Inter in August to replace star striker Romelu Lukaku, who left to join Chelsea, but has more than made up for the Belgian's absence so far.

"Six goals after seven games, I know Ronaldo was the last to do it," Dzeko said after the game. "Inter signed me for this, I know what I can still give and they know it too."

Asked if Inter had already forgotten Lukaku, he added: "We look ahead, we are doing well, I don't think about the past. Let's continue like this."

The veteran forward praised the spirit of his new team to battle back.

Inter have now avoided defeat after going into the break behind in three consecutive Serie A games for the first time in their history.

But Dzeko admitted that the Nerazzurri made things hard for themselves.

"Surely we showed [character] again," Dzeko said. "But we always take the most difficult road by conceding goals.

"You can't always play well, in the end the result is what counts. We were also a little tired."

Inter boss Simone Inzaghi echoed his striker's comments, admitting that fatigue played its part in his side's slow start and praising the impact of Dzeko and his fellow substitutes in turning the game around.

"Sassuolo did better than us in the first half," Inzaghi said. "In the second half, even before the changes, I saw a different team.

"Playing every three days, I need to give the team a boost, because I saw so many players tired. After the seventh game in 20 days with little training, I knew [the substitutes] would help me and they were decisive.

"I knew Dzeko as an opponent, I was struck by his availability and how he trains, he never backs down. 

"I'm happy with how the team can suffer. We always stay in the game because I found a group with a great spirit. The last two games were technically not as good as the others but now we will try to recover."

Simone Inzaghi revealed it was his decision for Federico Dimarco to take a penalty after the full-back's late missed spot-kick prevented Inter from beating Atalanta in a thriller.

The champions were held to a 2-2 Serie A draw following high drama late on at San Siro on Saturday.

Lautaro Martinez put them in front and Edin Dzeko equalised 19 minutes from time after first-half goals from Ruslan Malinovskyi and Rafael Toloi put Atalanta in front.

Substitute Dimarco struck the crossbar from 12 yards out late on after Merih Demiral had been penalised for handball.

There was more drama when Roberto Piccoli found the back of the net at the other end, but the goal was ruled out as the ball had gone out for a corner in the build-up.

Dimarco had never taken a penalty in Serie A before, but Inzaghi revealed he had put his faith in the 23-year-old to step up.

The Inter boss told DAZN: "The decision was mine, our penalty takers are Lautaro and [Hakan] Calhanoglu, who were not on the pitch. I had Dimarco and [Ivan] Perisic, Federico seemed fresher and this morning he had kicked well in training.

"He would have deserved the winning goal at San Siro because he made a great start to the season, but this is football."

A point for Inter ended their run of 18 consecutive home wins in Serie A and left them in third place, two points behind leaders and city rivals Milan, who won at Spezia.

But Inzaghi felt the Nerazzurri deserved to win a pulsating contest.

He said: "People without doubt were entertained, but we feel a bitter taste from this draw, as we feel that we could've had more.

"We fell apart a little after the missed penalty, but saw an excellent Inter in much of the first half and the second too against a very strong Atalanta."

Simone Inzaghi insisted Inter can still improve after their 3-1 comeback victory over Fiorentina maintained their unbeaten start to the Serie A season.

The defending champions completed a remarkable second-half turnaround after going behind to Riccardo Sottil's opener to extend their top-flight undefeated run against Tuesday's opponents to nine.

It was also their 1,500th win in the competition as the Nerazzurri equalled a club-record 24-match scoring streak in league games, previously achieved way back in 1949-50.

Despite expectations already being on the previous term's champions, Inzaghi is enjoying the winning environment Inter are developing, while calling for improvements.

"I arrived in a winning group, I had also won something," Inzaghi told DAZN post-match.

"We are working and growing: we had a great start to the season, but we can still grow.

"In the first half-hour we suffered from their pace, but then we proved to be in a good position, we scored three goals and it could have been more. But it's an important victory, not an easy one, for a great team."

Inter lost Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea and Achraf Hakimi to Paris Saint-Germain in the transfer window, while the absence of Christian Eriksen was also set to be a concern.

However, Inzaghi's side have made an emphatic start to the new campaign to sit a point ahead of Napoli, albeit having played a game more, and the head coach is delighted with his team's efforts so far.

"After what happened in the summer we have to continue," he added.

"I am fortunate to have a club that has lost three key players, such as [Romelu] Lukaku, [Achraf] Hakimi and [Christian] Eriksen, but has not broken down, we have brought important and functional players.

"We were convinced of our work, more than our strength. I chose the players together with the club, which was very good. We have to work day-by-day: five starts have passed, it's very early to make predictions.

"I started with great ambitions and desire, but we know that securing the club was the main thing. We did it, very strong and functional players were taken, we want to stay at the top."