Inter fail to exert Milan derby revenge ( 2003-10-06 14:12) (Agencies)
AC Milan enjoyed a 3-1 derby win over Inter on Sunday to join champions
Juventus at the top of Serie A as AS Roma were held to a goalless draw at Siena.
Goals from Filippo Inzaghi, Kaka and Andriy Shevchenko helped Milan to a
comfortable victory over a poor Inter side, who slipped to sixth after their
third league game without a win.
Juventus needed an 80th-minute penalty
by David Trezeguet to seal a 2-1 win over Bologna at the Delle Alpi stadium.
Lazio returned to winning ways when a deflected Sinisa Mihajlovic free kick
in the 64th minute secured a 1-0 win over Chievo, while Parma's good start
continued with a 1-0 victory over Sampdoria that took them up to fourth in the
standings.
It was easy going for European champions Milan in a one-sided derby that
leaves Inter coach Hector Cuper under pressure once again.
Milan went ahead in the 39th minute when an Andrea Pirlo free kick struck the
head of Inzaghi and flew past helpless Inter keeper Francesco Toldo.
Just 29 seconds after the restart, Carlo Ancelotti's side doubled their
advantage when Brazilian Kaka headed in a cross from Gennaro Gattuso.
Shevchenko made it 3-0 in the 77th, firing home after a neat one-two with
Cafu, with the Inter defence looking woeful.
Two minutes later Inter give themselves a glimmer of hope with a beautiful
individual strike from Nigerian teenager Obafemi Martins but although they
enjoyed some late pressure Milan's victory was never under threat.
The win was the latest derby success for Milan who knocked Inter out of the
Champions League semi-finals last season.
It was far from a vintage performance from Juventus, missing the creative
input of the injured Alessandro Del Piero but as so often they managed to take
three points from a below-par display.
Juve went ahead in strange fashion in the 23rd minute when Czech midfielder
Pavel Nedved crossed from the left and defender Mark Iuliano rose for a header,
only for the ball to fly off his back past Gianluca Pagliuca.
Three minutes later, though, Bologna pulled level when former Italy striker
Giuseppe Signori converted a penalty awarded after Juve defender Nicola
Legrottaglie brought down Carlo Nervo.
It was a struggle for Marcello Lippi's side after the break but they finally
broke through when Cristian Zaccardo was ruled to have tripped Gianluca
Zambrotta inside the Bologna area.
There were lengthy protests from Bologna players but that failed to deter
Trezeguet who blasted home the spot-kick to take unbeaten Juve on to 13 points
from five games.
Zambrotta will hardly have calmed the anger of the Bologna players by telling
Italy's Sky Sport television that he 'accentuated' his fall when under
challenge.
Lazio had dropped points in the past two weeks and the visit of Luigi Del
Neri's battling Chievo side provided them with a real test.
In a tight game, Lazio looked brighter after the introduction of Simone
Inzaghi at the break and earned their reward when Mihajlovic's firmly struck
free kick took a deflection off the defensive wall and wrong-footed Chievo's
former Lazio keeper Luca Marchegiani.
Lazio had midfielder Fabio Liverani sent off for a second bookable offence in
injury time.
Roma coach Fabio Capello put the blame on the conditions for his third-placed
team's scrappy goalless draw with Siena.
'There was a strong wind out there which made it difficult for the players.
We'll take the criticism as we took the praise...it is early in the season yet
and this was not an easy game,' he said.
Brazilian Adriano grabbed his sixth goal of the season for Parma as they beat
Sampdoria 1-0 to move level with Roma, two points behind the leaders.
