Inter Milan strengthened their position at the top of Serie A standings in chase of their first Scudetto title in years as Milan Skriniar’s second-half goal was enough to secure all three points against a stubborn Atalanta side.
In the first half, the league leaders looked very nervy and it was their goalkeeper Samir Handanovic who thankfully rescued them from going a goal down after making a fine save to prevent Atalanta striker Duvan Zapata from scoring.
About nine minutes into the second half, Skriniar pounced on a loose ball resulting from a corner to put Inter ahead, with Conte’s side digging in defensively late on to see out the victory.
The win takes Inter Milan’s tally to seven in a row and edges them one step closer to a first Serie A title in 11 years.
They now have 62 points, six clear of rivals AC Milan in second, and 10 ahead of third-placed champions Juventus.
Atalanta, however, stays fifth.
“We played against an Atalanta team that takes points from all the big clubs,” Conte told reporters after the game.
“They prepared for this more wisely than in previous matches against us, they knew we could hurt them.
“This was three important points against an excellent team.”
AC Milan and Juventus put pressure on Inter after wins over the weekend, and it was evident early on in the San Siro as Conte’s side struggled to find their rhythm.
Other than a Romelu Lukaku blocked shot, Inter rarely posed Atalanta any threat, with chances few and far between.
Skriniar scored the only goal with what was the hosts’ only shot on target in the whole game and it eventually secured maximum points for them.
The win was hard-earned late on by some dogged defending as Atalanta threw everything at Inter, with the final whistle greeted with wild celebrations.
“We definitely played a good match,” Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini said.
“We lost on a corner kick, perhaps with a bit of bad luck, in one episode. We are angry about the result.”
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