Furious Inter Stumble in Serie A Title Race as McTominay Features in Napoli Victory
Inter Milan encountered further instability in their effort to recapture the Serie A championship following a 1-1 stalemate against Atalanta on Saturday, as the opponents rebounded from their Champions League rout by Bayern Munich.
Nikola Krstovic secured a share of the spoils for Atalanta with an 82nd-minute strike at the San Siro, nullifying Pio Espositos angled effort on 26 minutes, which had positioned the hosts to widen their advantage at the top to 10 points.
However, Inter manager Cristian Chivu and his squad were enraged by the validation of Krstovic's goal, viewing it as resulting from a shove on Denzel Dumfries by Kamaldeen Sulemana, whose blocked attempt preceded the equaliser.
Chivu received a red card for his intense remonstrations towards the match officials during a tense conclusion to an otherwise lacklustre encounter in rain-soaked Milan.
Dumfries clutched his head in dismay as referee Gianluca Manganiello signalled the centre spot for the goal, offering AC Milan an opportunity to close the gap to five points behind their city foes.
The home supporters erupted in frustration shortly after when Davide Frattesi collapsed seeking a spot-kick following contact from Giorgio Scalvini, who merely brushed his international colleagues boot and escaped any sanction.
No Inter personnel addressed the press post-match, boycotting in objection to the rulings.
Milan, fresh off last weekends derby success over Inter, head to Rome for a Sunday evening clash with Lazio, potentially revitalising a championship contest that seemed decided just seven days prior.
Atalantas resilient draw followed their midweek 6-1 Champions League drubbing by Bayern, a tournament they remain marginally eligible for next term.
Atalanta, set to rematch Bayern in Munich on Wednesday, sit four points adrift of Como and Roma, who occupy fourth and fifth on goal difference and meet this Sunday.
"The teams response pleased me greatly, its simple to remain impacted considering we faced Bayern only four days back," remarked Atalanta boss Raffaele Palladino.
"Yet they performed with maturity, as true professionals should."
McTominay back
Juventus, trailing Roma and Como by a single point, could ascend to the top four via a victory at Udinese in Saturdays closing fixture.
Defending title holders Napoli, nine points behind Inter in third, overturned a deficit to defeat Lecce 2-1 at home, marking Scott McTominays injury comeback.
Strikes from Rasmus Hojlund and Matteo Politano erased Jamil Sieberts unexpected initial lead for Lecce, solidifying Napolis hold on a top-four berth, eight points clear of Roma and Como.
Additional positive developments for manager Antonio Conte, plagued by numerous injuries throughout the campaign, arrived with McTominays reintroduction after more than a month out, entering at half-time.
The Scottish midfielder McTominay has quickly endeared himself to Napoli fans since his transfer from Manchester United, and his appearance coincided with ongoing recoveries for Kevin De Bruyne and Andre-Frank Anguissa.
De Bruyne came on for Anguissa during the interval and appeared sharp in his second outing since sustaining a hamstring tear while converting a penalty versus Inter last October.
A concerning incident arose late when Lecce forward Lameck Banda collapsed on the pitch at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, leaving the stadium in stunned quietude as he required urgent removal.
DAZN coverage indicated he was alert while being attended to in an ambulance, following a tumble that evoked memories of Edoardo Bovas cardiac episode on the field for Fiorentina last season.