Inter Milan Go Top of Serie A After Win at Roma and Napoli Shock Defeat

Inter Milan moved to the top of Serie A on goal difference on Saturday after a narrow 1–0 victory over Roma, capitalising on Napoli’s shock 1–0 loss to Torino.

Ange-Yoan Bonny struck the decisive goal in the sixth minute at the Stadio Olimpico, timing his run perfectly to beat Roma’s offside trap before forcing the ball home. The result lifted Inter level on 15 points with both Roma and reigning champions Napoli.

Under Serie A rules, if teams finish the season level on points, the title is decided by a play-off, meaning Inter currently share top spot in the standings.

“I’m proud of how they’re working, how they prepare themselves mentally ahead of big matches… I’m proud of them and what they’re trying to do,” said Inter coach Cristian Chivu.

“Playing after the international break is always going into the unknown because a lot of players head off, and you need to think about them having some rest. I’m happy with how they faced this fixture.”

Chivu’s men, who also hit the post late on through Henrikh Mkhitaryan, have now won six consecutive matches in all competitions, underlining their determination to reclaim the Scudetto after surrendering it to Napoli last season.

Inter next face Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League before a high-stakes trip to Napoli. The champions were stunned in Turin after a goal from Giovanni Simeone, one of their former players, amid a growing injury crisis that sidelined Rasmus Højlund and Scott McTominay.

Despite the victory, Inter were pushed hard on Saturday night. Roma came close to levelling on the hour mark when Zeki Çelik’s effort was deflected into the side-netting. From the resulting corner, Artem Dovbyk headed over with Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer stranded.

“We’re disappointed at losing, but there are defeats that can give you something,” said Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini.

Napoli’s defeat, combined with Inter’s triumph in the capital, hands AC Milan — who sit fourth, two points off the summit — the opportunity to go top with victory over Fiorentina on Sunday. However, Milan are battling their own injury woes. Manager Massimiliano Allegri confirmed that key players Adrien Rabiot and Christian Pulisic will be sidelined until after the international break in mid-November.

Simeone Sinks Napoli

Simeone, who helped Napoli secure the Serie A title in 2023 and last season, netted the only goal of the game in the 32nd minute. The 30-year-old striker took advantage of a fortunate ricochet, skipped past Giovanni Di Lorenzo and goalkeeper Vanja Milinković-Savić, and coolly slotted home.

It was Simeone’s third goal of the campaign, having also scored the winner in Torino’s 1–0 victory over Roma in September. Napoli thought they had salvaged a point in stoppage time when Noa Lang bundled the ball in, but his effort was ruled out for offside.

“It was a special night for me. To give Torino three points from such a difficult match makes me very happy,” Simeone told DAZN.

“They’re a very good team and it was an emotional night for me, but the most important thing is making the Torino fans happy by showing them we’re a team that fights to the end.”

Napoli coach Antonio Conte was forced to cope without in-form striker Højlund and midfielder McTominay, who missed the match through thigh and ankle injuries sustained in training. Both are doubtful for Tuesday’s Champions League clash against PSV Eindhoven.

Conte is already dealing with multiple injury concerns this season. Højlund — who has scored three times for Napoli and netted for Denmark during the international break — was signed from Manchester United after Romelu Lukaku suffered a thigh injury that could sideline him until the new year.

Alessandro Buongiorno and Matteo Politano were only fit enough for the bench, while Stanislav Lobotka and Amir Rrahmani remain out.