Inter Milan falters in Serie A title pursuit following Atalanta stalemate
Inter Milan experienced yet another setback in their effort to regain the Serie A crown following a 1-1 draw against Atalanta on Saturday, with the visitors recovering from their Champions League thrashing 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 from the 26th minute that had the hosts poised to stretch their advantage at the top to 10 points.
However Inter manager Cristian Chivu and his squad were furious over the validation of Krstovics goal, which they believed stemmed from a foul on Denzel Dumfries by Kamaldeen Sulemana, whose blocked attempt paved the way for the equaliser.
Chivu received a red card for his intense remonstrations with the match officials during a tense conclusion to an otherwise lacklustre contest amid heavy rain in Milan.
Dumfries buried his face in his hands as referee Gianluca Manganiello signalled for the goal, awarding it and thereby offering AC Milan an opportunity to close the gap to five points behind their city foes.
Milan, fresh from victory in last weekends derby clash with Inter, head to Rome for a Sunday evening encounter with Lazio, potentially sparking renewed life into a title contest that seemed decided just seven days prior.
The hard earned draw for Atalanta followed their dismal 6-1 loss to Bayern on Tuesday in the Champions League, where they remain marginally in the hunt for qualification spots this campaign.
Atalanta sit four points adrift of Como and Roma, who occupy fourth and fifth on goal difference, and are due to clash on Sunday.
Juventus, trailing that duo by a single point in sixth, have the chance to enter the top four with victory over Udinese in Saturdays evening fixture.
Defending champions Napoli lag 12 points behind Inter in third but could reduce that deficit when hosting Lecce in Naples, a venue where Antonio Contes side remains unbeaten in league action this term.