Inter’s plan was to keep things tight in defence and feed off the opportunities that Roma would offer by way of their defensive mistakes.
The chances came but Conte’s men failed to capitalize on them and now would be hoping that Roma’s crosstown rivals stop Juventus from retaking the first place in Serie A.
Samir Handanovic – 6: Two decent first half saves but remained unbothered for the rest of the game. Started moves well but had the best seat in the house thereafter.
Diego Godin – 7: Probably his best game since moving to Inter. Ensured that all mistakes were taken care off. Plenty of forward impetus as well. More of this please.
Stefan de Vrij – 6.5: Stefan didn’t look at his best but still put in a decent first half performance. The second half was much better and ensured that Inter didn’t concede.
Milan Skriniar – 6.5: Had some issues with his left foot at the start but he’s made of steel. After Zaniolo moved out to his side he shut him down at every opportunity.
Antonio Candreva – 5: Not Candreva’s best outing. Maybe he was injured from the start but his passing, crossing and general play were nowhere near his levels this season.
Marcelo Brozovic – 6: Conte played him in his natural best position. Performed his midfield tasks well considering how much Roma dominated in the middle of the pitch.
Borja Valero – 5.5: Some poor touches in the first half, but his sense of positioning helped Inter out both offensively and defensively. Quantity but not enough quality.
Matias Vecino – 6: Missing in the first half as usual but didn’t get the rub of the green in a lot of 50-50’s. Should have done better with the first half chance.
Cristiano Biraghi – 5.5: Defensively was very stable. Used his chances with the ball decently without threatening to cause any major damage or create any danger at all.
Lautaro Martinez – 5.5: Was missing for large parts of the first half as the team was unable to activate him. Got involved in the second half but uncharacteristically wasteful.
Romelu Lukaku – 6: Involved a lot in the few chances Inter created in the first half. Could have had an assist and a goal on another day in the first half alone. Tired out.
Valentino Lazaro – 6.5: Brought the spark Inter needed initially. Then settled into the pattern of the game. Didn’t take the risks that were probably needed to break the ice.
Kwadwo Asamoah – 5.5: Nice to see Asamoah back. Not nice to see him play in midfield where his touch was very heavy and he was mostly chasing the ball in his 20 minutes.
Danilo D’Ambrosio – N/A: Last ditch throw of the dice by Conte to move Lazaro over to the left where there was more space. D’Ambrosio is Conte’s tactical utility knife.
Antonio Conte – 5.5: Too careful in the first half. Clean sheets are important but Inter should be involving their in form attackers a lot more especially at home.
Gianpaolo Calvarese – 4: Lots of 50-50’s were misjudged. Didn’t endear himself to the crowd and should be using the advice of VAR a lot more. Missed some yellows on Roma.
Inter – 6: First clean sheet at home since the 23rd of October. Had Romelu and co taken the early Christmas gifts given to them from Roma, it would have been a huge boost to the teams confidence.
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