AS Roma beat Inter while AC Milan get back to winning ways

(Football news) A towering header from Chris Smalling in the second half helped his side to a very important 2-1 victory over Inter Milan. The former England international headed home in the 75th minute winner after a brilliant free kick by Lorenzo Pellegrini from about 44 yards. Inter opened the scoring through defender Federico Dimarco in the 30th minute when his low strike took a deflection off keeper Rui Patricio but it still reached the corner of the net.

Inter striker Edin Dzeko thought he had scored in the 11th minute but his goal was chalked off by VAR for offside. Roma's fullback Leonardo Spinazzola made an attempt on goal eight minutes later from the edge of the box but he was brilliantly denied by Samir Handanovic. Roma eventually netted an equaliser through forward Dybala in the 39th minute for his fourth goal in Serie A this season, after a superb cross by defender Spinazzola. Inter came close to taking the lead in the 63rd minute through midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu but his free kick hit the woodwork. Inter now have lost four out of their eight league games this season, a mark which they previously suffered once in their history in the 2011-2012 campaign.

"It was important to win, I hope to continue scoring many goals," Smalling told the reporters

"We did well and we could have won, but instead we are here talking about a defeat. We could have done better, we need to work more on the details," said Simone Inzaghi “The squad on the pitch gave everything they could… what we are doing is not enough but we need to do better."

AC Milan went on to snatch a dramatic 3-1 victory over Empoli in Serie A as three goals in the game were scored in stoppage time. Milan started the game on the front foot and kept up the intensity throughout the first half, but despite a number of chances they could not beat Empoli goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario. Rafael Leao had the chance to send Milan into an early lead in the ninth minute with a powerful low shot from inside the box, but Vicario saved it with his leg. Stefano Pioli's injury worries continued when winger Alexis Saelemaekers needed to be substituted in the 33rd minute, three minutes after captain Davide Calabria needed to be carried off the field on a stretcher after a knock.

Simon Kjaer picked up an injury and was substituted in the 73rd minute but despite the setbacks Ante Rebic managed to break the deadlock in the 79th minute with a shot inside the area after a great pass from Leao. Nedim Bajrami in stoppage time thought he had rescued a point for Empoli with a goal from a free-kick. However, two minutes later, Fode Ballo-Toure managed to put the ball beyond Vicario after an assist from Rade Krunic. Leao then made sure of the win when he scored Milan's third goal in the seventh minute of stoppage time with a delightful chip over Vicario. Milan now have jumped to third place in the standings with 17 points and are three points behind leaders Napoli.

"Calabria and Kjaer have muscular injuries, Calabria's is pretty serious. Saelemaekers looks like a sprain of the collateral ligament, we'll see what the tests say. Injuries happen over the course of a season, but I am fortunate to have many talented players who all have the right attitude and feel they are within the project. It was a strange, intense game, we should've scored earlier, lost our way after the injuries and then got back on track. It was a victory of hunger and spirit," Pioli said.

The other results were: