Serie A, Inter 3-1 Cremonese: Nerazzurri cruise to easy victory as Martinez makes sure

Milan, August 31: Lautaro Martinez put the seal on Inter's 3-1 victory against Cremonese at San Siro after first-half goals from Joaquin Correa and Nicolo Barella gave the Nerazzurri full control.

The hosts were in front early on when Correa converted a rebound from a parried Edin Dzeko shot, before a superb strike from Barella made it 2-0 before half-time.

Simone Inzaghi’s hosts took their foot off the gas after the interval, but they added a third through substitute Martinez before David Okereke netted a late consolation.

Results | Points Table | Fixtures

The three points mean Inter bounce back from Friday’s 3-1 defeat to Lazio as they move up to second, just one point behind leaders Roma. Cremonese are still yet to pick up a point this season, kept off the bottom by Monza on goal difference.

The hosts were ahead after 12 minutes when visiting goalkeeper Ionut Radu, on loan from Inter, palmed a powerful Dzeko shot straight into the path of Correa, who finished with ease.

Inter dominated the first half, and they doubled their lead shortly before the break with a wonderful volley from Barella, after a perfectly weighted cross from Hakan Calhanoglu picked him out on the edge of the box.

After the interval, the visitors started to have more of the ball and a vicious Luca Zanimacchia effort flew just over Samir Handanovic’s crossbar.

Dzeko nearly added a third for Inter when a brilliant Denzel Dumfries flick-on put the striker in on goal, but Radu made an excellent stop from the close-range shot.

Despite Cremonese's improved second-half performance, Martinez secured the three points with an excellent finish into the bottom corner after Barella played him in.

The visitors grabbed their reply in the dying seconds, with a delightful curling effort from Okereke denying Inter a clean sheet.

What does it mean? Inter move above Milan

With the three points the Nerazzurri move above bitter rivals Milan, who they face next. It was a dominant display from Inter against Cremonese, as they attempted 18 shots to the visitors' 11. The hosts also won 60.3 per cent of their duels, while completing 86.8 per cent of their passes.

Brilliant Barella

The 25-year-old's excellent performance was underpinned by his stunning strike to make it 2-0 and his assist for Martinez's goal. He made five key passes as he completed 43 of the 49 passes he attempted (87.8 per cent). The midfielder also won five of his seven duels while regaining possession for his side on a team-high eight occasions.

Off-night for Dzeko

While Dzeko played a part in the first goal, any striker loves to get on the scoresheet and the former Manchester City forward failed to do that despite his six goal attempts. Only two of these efforts were on target, and he was caught offside more than any of his Inter team-mates while winning just six of 13 (46.2 per cent) duels.

What's next?

Next up for Inter is a derby at San Siro against champions Milan on Saturday (September 3). Cremonese will host Sassuolo the following day.