Roberto Gagliardini was in no mood to downplay the importance of Inter’s win over Sassuolo this evening.
Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez scored in either half to secure a 2-1 victory for Antonio Conte’s side at San Siro.
Hamed Traore pulled a goal back late on for Roberto De Zerbi’s team, but it wasn’t enough to deny Inter a tenth straight win in Serie A.
Speaking to Inter TV after the game, Gagliardini said: “This is a crucial win for us to increase the gap of our rivals who had already played.
“We’re happy to have won.
“We knew how strong Sassuolo were, they’re a team that really like playing football in the way they train it every day.
“We played a compact game like we often do, making the most of the chances which fell to us.”
Inter have become the first team in the three-points-per-win era to win each of their first 10 games in the so-called ‘girone di ritorno’ (the second half of the Serie A season).
Asked what was the secret behind their consistency, the midfielder replied: “The credit goes to the whole team.
“The team is doing great things, really important things, so we must congratulate all the guys.”
Inter were once again happy to concede possession to their opponents today, allowing Sassuolo to control the ball before punishing the Neroverdi on the counterattack.
Conte started using this more prudent approach during the reverse fixture back in November, when Inter secured a 3-0 win at the Mapei Stadium.
“We’ve changed things ever since that first match against Sassuolo,” Gagliardini recalled.
“This way of playing is serving us well, it’s a style which suits our players and our philosophy of playing.”