Inter produced a remarkable turnaround to defeat Udinese 5-3 on Monday, recovering from a two-goal deficit to preserve their unbeaten start to the Serie A season and draw level with Roma at the top of the table. Both clubs now sit on 12 points after four rounds, setting up a mouthwatering clash between the two leaders at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday.
Udinese delivered an early shock at the San Siro, racing into a two-goal lead inside the first quarter of an hour. James Abankwah rose unmarked to head the visitors in front after nine minutes, and Jurgen Ekkelenkamp doubled the advantage seven minutes later with a finish from close range.
Inter, however, refused to panic. Carlos Augusto pulled one back with a stunning strike from distance that flew into the bottom corner, and Nicolò Barella restored parity ten minutes before the break to level the scores at 2-2 heading into half-time.
The champions completed their comeback in the second half. Marcus Thuram put Inter ahead for the first time in the 59th minute, finishing from inside the box after being set up by Andy Diouf's low cutback. Francesco Esposito then extended the lead, before Ange-Yoan Bonny made it 5-2 with just eleven minutes remaining. Udinese grabbed a stoppage-time consolation through Idrissa Gueye, but by then the outcome was already decided.
The victory was not without cost for Inter, as new signing John Stones was forced off with what appeared to be a hamstring problem shortly after the hour mark. The England defender had been making his first start for the club since arriving on a free transfer over the summer. Manager Cristian Chivu admitted he was still awaiting clarity on the injury. "I don't know, I haven't had a chance to talk to him," Chivu told Dazn. "I think he felt something on his flexor [muscle], and he will probably need to get some tests done."
Roma, meanwhile, kept pace at the summit with a 2-0 win away at Torino, extending their perfect run to four victories from four. Donyell Malen broke the deadlock five minutes before half-time, capitalising after Paulo Dybala intercepted a stray pass from goalkeeper Lucas Perri. Niccolò Pisilli sealed the points in stoppage time, firing home from a tight angle after Gianluca Mancini's determined work kept the ball alive near the byline.
Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini was full of praise for the partnership between his two attacking players. "Clearly, these are two players who are very talented individually, but they also complete each other as a pair. They combine beautifully to create goals in many games," he told Dazn Italia.
Elsewhere in Serie A, Como climbed to third place on 10 points after backing up their Champions League debut victory over RB Leipzig with a 2-1 home triumph against Parma. Jacobo Ramón and Kaiki Bruno were on target for Cesc Fàbregas's side. "This is an important victory for me as a coach, because I am starting to realise what team we could become," Fàbregas said afterward.
In Spain, Real Betis moved up to third in La Liga following a 2-1 comeback win at Villarreal, a result that leaves their hosts stuck in the relegation zone. Cucho Hernández and Natan scored for Betis after Gerard Moreno had given Villarreal an early lead. A frustrated Moreno reflected on his side's struggles: "Right now everything's going against us, teams are punishing us. We have to stick together and demand more of ourselves… maybe when we go behind, anxiety kicks in and it's more difficult. It's hard to explain [how few] points we have... we have to be a team now more than ever."
Based on reporting from Guardian Football.