Inter never looked in trouble against the last placed team in the league. A first half where both teams struggled to create meaningful chances opened up when Candreva found himself unmarked and made sure he continued his recent uptick in form.

Two goals in 5 second half minutes ensured that Inter kept the 2nd place for another round of games. Oh and Gagliardini managed to score a tap in.

Samir Handanovic – 5: On another day Samir could easily have conceded that first half penalty. Never looked in control and had no saves to make as SPAL were wasteful.

Milan Skriniar – 6.5: SPAL are not certainly the toughest opponents this season but Skriniar had a decent outing. Did not get much wrong and moved the ball very well.

Andrea Ranocchia – 6: Made a huge mistake that could have led to the penalty, but his main task was to keep the long balls away which he did very well. Back to the bench.

Alessandro Bastoni – 6: Not much to do defensively in the first half, but played some nice diagonal balls ahead and the contribution in attack was crucial in every play

Antonio Candreva – 6.5: Another start, another goal for Candreva who for once made perfect use of the space and time offered to him. No wonder Conte trusts him so much.

Marcelo Brozovic – 6: Very timid in the first half. Always played the safe ball. The invention and spark were missing. Unlucky not to score with the first attempt of the game.

Roberto Gagliardini – 6.5: The midfield was packed but Gagliardini found the ball in space many times. Did not produce any quality but finally put away the dreaded tap in goal.

Cristiano Biraghi – 7: For a wing-back in Conte’s system, Biraghi is very timid. Always chose to take the safe option until the 2nd half where he got a goal and an assist.

Christian Eriksen – 6: Much better showing this time from the January signing. Came deep and got involved in the packed midfield quite a few times. Looked slightly better.

Lautaro Martinez – 6: The goal against Torino seems to have sparked the confidence that was so lacking. Important part in the first goal. Looked tired towards the end.

Alexis Sanchez – 7.5: Alexis is like the Energizer battery bunny. Never stops running with or without the ball. Always chases after everything. Great assist deserved goal. Sign him up.

Danilo D’Ambrosio – 6: Decent 30 minutes or so. Just got unlucky once but it did not cost Inter much. Made a few runs forward but kept the right side of defense mostly quiet.

Ashley Young – 6: Another assist for Young who seems to be enjoying life in Milan. Kept his composure once the ball dropped and rolled it perfectly for Gagliardini.

Borja Valero – 5.5: A few mistakes towards the end when Inter were just playing out minutes. His job was to keep the ball and clock ticking and he did enough for SPAL.

Lorenzo Pirola – N/A: Nice to see Inter’s prized young defender make a debut. Looked calm and collected in his 10 mins, but the game was over by the time he was on.

Sebastiano Esposito – N/A: Finally got off the bench to give some rest to the brilliant Alexis. Inter did not produce much in attack as the game was over. Not involved much.

Antonio Conte – 6.5: This is the Inter Conte envisioned in his first press conference last July. No Pazza moments, solid in defense and ran the weaker teams off the rails.

Antonio Giua – 5.5: Too soft on a lot of SPAL fouls that deserved bookings. Looked much more assured in the second half. Good application of rules on the penalty call.

Inter – 6: All players had a decent outing against an inferior team. They should take it as a shot of confidence for the tougher games coming up ahead.

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