Inter reaped the rewards of showing faith in wing-back Matteo Darmian after he netted the winner in today’s 1-0 win over Cagliari, Italian journalist Fabrizio Biasin claims.

The former Manchester United defender struck in the second half to settle a tight encounter at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza and give Inter an 11th straight win in Serie A.

With just eight games remaining, Inter have an 11 point lead at the summit of the table courtesy of the victory over a relegation-threatened Cagliari team and are closing in on a first Scudetto since 2010.

Darmian joined Inter on loan from Parma last summer after falling out of favour with the Gialloblu and previously struggling in the Premier League, with Nerazzurri coach Antonio Conte keen to reunite with him after working with him during his spell in charge of the Italian national team.

Biasin took to Twitter after the match to highlight the irony of a player who no other team had shown an interest in deciding such a crucial match and praised Conte for his continued faith in Darmian.

“The match was decided by a player that nobody wanted, except his coach. Bravo Inter. Bravo Darmian,” Biasin tweeted.