After suffering a defeat to their arch-rivals, AC Milan, in the Derby della Madonnina, Inter Milan’s lead has been cut to seven points.
The Nerazzurri entered the contest with a commanding 10-point lead. Most fans and observers had identified them as the favourites to prevail. After all, they had been almost flawless in Serie A over the past few months.
Interestingly, Inter’s previous defeat in the league was in the first edition of the Derby della Madonnina on November 23, Christian Pulisic’s solitary strike gave Milan a crucial victory.
Therefore, the reverse fixture presented Cristian Chivu with the perfect opportunity to exact revenge on Max Allegri, while blowing his rival away from the title race once and for all.
However, the Rossoneri did what they have been doing over the past two seasons: Overcome the odds to emerge victorious in the Derby.
This time, Pervis Estupinan emerged as the unexpected hero. The Ecuadorian wing-back wasn’t even expected to start the match, having been a back-up for the majority of the campaign.
Needless to say, Inter’s defeat evoked some unpleasant memories among the club’s supporters. After all, the Nerazzurri aren’t strangers to squandering healthy leads in the Scudetto race.
In fact, we only have to go back to the previous campaigns to recall unfortunate collapses.
Inter Milan Fans Getting Unsavoury Flashbacks After Derby Defeat
During Simone Inzaghi’s four-year reign, the Beneamata famously won their 20th Serie A title. However, many would argue that the current Al-Hilal boss should have at least picked up another two Scudetto medals.
But last season, Inter couldn’t maintain their composure to reach the final. They ended up squandering the lead to Napoli, who weren’t on anyone’s title predictions.
Moreover, the 2021/22 campaign saw the Nerazzurri squander the lead to AC Milan in the final rounds of the season.
Most observers pinpoint Inter’s defeat to Bologna as the watershed moment. However, the Rossoneri fans would argue that their title charge was inspired by their Derby victory in February.
But while the similarities could be uncanny, the most reliable sports betting online platforms still consider Inter the heavy favourites to lift the title at the end of the season.
Unlike last season, when they were involved in the Champions League, the Nerazzurri have a relatively light schedule.
Moreover, they would certainly need a bottle job for the ages to waste a seven-point lead.
Finally, Inter have already played against Milan, Napoli and Juventus twice. Those have been the clubs that were able to take the most points against Chivu’s men.
On the contrary, the Nerazzurri have been supreme against smaller sides. Therefore, as long as they continue to ‘bully’ the rest of the table, Inter should be able to reach the finish line unscathed.