Serie A | Genoa 1-2 Inter: Lautaro Martinez sends Nerazzurri top

Inter surged to the top of the Serie A table thanks to Yann Bisseck and Lautaro Martinez, inflicting the first defeat on the Genoa bench for Daniele De Rossi.

The Nerazzurri were shaken by a controversial Champions League defeat to Liverpool, especially as Hakan Calhanoglu and Francesco Acerbi joined Denzel Dumfries, Matteo Darmian, Tomas Palacios and Raffaele Di Gennaro on the treatment table. The Grifone were revitalised since Patrick Vieira’s dismissal, Daniele De Rossi overseeing two draws and two consecutive victories against Verona and Udinese. Leo Ostigard, Junior Messias, Hugo Cuenca, Maxwel Cornet and Benjamin Siegrist missed out, but Morten Frendrup returned.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

As Milan were held 2-2 by Sassuolo and Napoli lost 1-0 to Udinese, Inter knew a win here would leapfrog them to the top of the Serie A table. There was trouble an hour before kick-off when Genoa and Inter fans clashed outside the stadium, setting cars on fire and prompting police to deploy tear gas.

The hosts had a big early chance when Lorenzo Colombo got down the left and his pull-back was just beyond Vitinha sliding in from six yards.

Instead, Inter opened the scoring when Lautaro Martinez kept it in play at the by-line and found Yann Bisseck, as while Nicola Leali was expecting a cross, he was wrong-footed on a low drive drilled into the near bottom corner.

Carlos Augusto nodded wide and Lautaro Martinez tested Leali from the edge of the area, while Francesco Pio Esposito forced a save from the on-rushing goalkeeper when holding off Sebastian Otoa to reach a Nicolò Barella pass.

Inter doubled their lead when Barella’s cross-field pass sent Carlos Augusto down the left, he laid it off for Lautaro Martinez, who used his strength to turn Alessandro Marcandalli and smash the angled drive into the far bottom corner with the inside of the left boot.

Lautaro Martinez also fired straight at Leali after the restart and Bisseck nodded a corner wide, but Genoa got back into the game with a moment of real skill from Vitinha.

The former Olympique Marseille striker gathered from Aaron Martin down the left, flicked it on with his heel to get away from two Inter defenders, cut inside to dribble around Yann Sommer and deposit into an empty net.

Albert Gronbaek’s free kick was easy for Sommer, but far tougher for Leali to parry Marcus Thuram’s header on a corner at the near post.

Sommer was tested more in stoppages, smothering the Caleb Ekuban glancing header on Jeff Ekhator’s cross.

Bisseck 6 (I), Lautaro Martinez 38 (I), Vitinha 68 (G)