Inter Milan 1-0 Genoa Player Ratings: A nervy win for Inter spices up the title race again

It was not pretty, but Inter Milan held on for a 1-0 victory over Genoa. This positive result was needed for Inter to close down the gap between them and the league leaders Napoli. Genoa stay in the 12th spot for now, with only two wins in their last five matches.

Both sides made three changes to their last playing eleven. It was a largely sluggish first half between Inter Milan and Genoa, as neither side was able to create dangerous opportunities. Despite Inter dominating the possession, they did not look very comfortable in shooting positions, a problem the visitors were also facing, despite growing into the game slowly.  Seeing that there were no attempts on target in the opening half, some tactical tweaks in an attempt to shake things up were expected from both sides.

But the changes did not happen as expected, with Inzaghi making only one substitution, which was as expected as Correa was taken off due to his injury late in the first half. The game was sluggish in the second half too until substitutions were made which added some energy to the game. Inter continued to make advances and almost came close to scoring after Barella took it upon himself to score from a distance. Inter Milan finally found the breakthrough as the corner whipped into the six-yard area by Calhanoglu, and was attacked by Lautaro Martinez, sneaking it below Leali and into the back of the net. While there was urgency shown by both sides to get a goal after this, some impressive defensive display prevented from it happening.

Here are the player ratings for Inter Milan vs Genoa

Inter Milan Player Ratings

GK- Josep Martinez – 7/10

His debut for Inter coming against his former club was poetic. He made some key saves that kept his side in the match, also providing stability to the defense.

LB- Federico Dimarco – 6/10

His delivery lacked consistency tonight, especially his crosses, which he is usually very good at.

CB- Benjamin Pavard – 6.5/10

He contributed well defensively and his overlapping runs to assist the attackers were useful too.

CB- Francesco Acerbi – 7/10

Despite being old, making recovery challenges, smart interceptions in the match showed everyone the kind of player he is.

CB- Alessandro Bastoni – 7/10

Despite being caught in awkward situations, the centre-back did well to navigate them with his timely interventions.

RB- Denzel Dumfries – 6.5/10

He combined his defensive duties with an attacking intent with high energy to run up and down the flank.

CM- Nicolo Barella – 7.5/10

He orchestrated the attack with his lovely passes and impeccable vision. He even almost scored a goal from a distance, but it hit the framework sadly.

CM- Kristjan Asllani – 5.5/10

He struggled to influence the tempo of the match and had sporadic attempts in the box too.

CM – Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 6.5/10

While his dribbling ability to get out of tricky situations helped, repeated fouls disrupted the flow of the game.

ST- Joaquin Correa – 5/10

He had a promising start which was disrupted because of an injury and he had to sub off.

ST – Lautaro Martinez – 8/10

He had a decisive impact on the match, scoring the opening goal of the match from a corner routine.

SUB- Mehdi Taremi – 6/10

He did his best to fill in the void of Correa and even had some ambitious attempts to score.

SUB- Hakan Calhanoglu – 7.5/10

A fantastic ball into the box from a corner to assist the opening goal.

SUB- Piotr Zielinski – 6/10

The decision to bring him in for balance and fresh creative input, but his influence was limited.

SUB-Matteo Darmian- NA

Darmian replaced Dimarco to inject more energy into the defensive performance.

SUB-Stefan de Vrij – NA

He came on for Inter replacing Bastoni at the back, providing him some relief.

Manager- Simone Inzaghi – 7/10

His side established dominance but looked very uncomfortable to score goals. They finally made it out with a victory but things need to improve soon.

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Genoa Player Ratings

GK- Nicola Leali – 6.5/10

Despite some lapses in play, he made some key saves to keep the score line as low as possible.

LB- Aaron Caricol – 6/10

His defensive work was reliable, engaging in physical duels whenever needed to bring defensive stability.

CB- Johan Vásquez – 6/10

His steady defensive presence offered a solid shape to the backline and he did well to provide decent cover.

CB- Mattia Bani – 6.5/10

The captain showed resilience in his game with a fantastic work-rate. His impact on attack was limited, however.

RB- Stefano Sabelli – 6/10

He did his man-marking duties and worked hard defensively on the right hand side.

CM- Morten Frendrup – 5.5/10

He held up to his end on defensive duties, breaking up play, winning possession back and recycling it whenever possible.

CM- Patrizio Masini – 6/10

He had a desire to go for ambitious plays, trying to hit from distance and playing well in midfield transitions.

CM- Fabio Miretti – 6/10

A naughty tackle by him in the second half got him booked, which in return became a reason to substitute him off the pitch.

LW- Jeff Ekhator – 5/10

His involvement in attack was minimal, as he lacked the incisiveness in attack, resulting in a below-average outing.

ST- Andrea Pinamonti – 5/10

The striker was awfully quiet throughout the match and was replaced in the second half rightfully.

RW- Alessandro Zanoli – 5/10

He was underwhelming, without troubling the opposition defense at all. He was subbed out as a result to try something new.

SUB- Junior Messias – 6/10

A few hopeful moments here and there but nothing major to shake things up for the opposition.

SUB- Caleb Ekuban – 6/10

He showed initiative and stayed proactive. His booking late in the game was a result of that.

SUB- Maxwel Cornet – 5/10

A limited contribution on both ends, ending up with a bland performance as a result.

SUB- Jean Onana – 6/10

He provided some defensive stability to the midfield, allowing the team to play more freely.

SUB- Lorenzo Venturino – 5/10

He did not provide anything fresh or new, apart from an energetic body into the game.

Manager- Patrick Vieira – 6.5/10

While his side struggled to convert chances, their defensive display was excellent and were unlucky to concede.

The Sportsdunia Player of the Match goes to Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez.

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