Ange-Yoan Bonny fired Inter Milan to the top of Serie A with an early strike that sealed a 1-0 victory over Roma at the Stadio Olimpico.
The 21-year-old French forward, rewarded with a starting role after impressing against Cremonese before the international break, proved to be the difference on the night.
Just six minutes in, he timed his run perfectly to beat Roma’s high defensive line and latched onto Nicolò Barella’s long through ball from the right.
Bonny held off Evan Ndicka before smashing a low, powerful shot past goalkeeper Mile Svilar at the near post.
Inter’s early breakthrough was enough to secure their sixth consecutive win across all competitions, propelling Cristian Chivu’s men to the top of the table on goal difference. They now sit level on 15 points with both Roma and Napoli.
Despite their bright start, Inter couldn’t find a second goal in a quiet first half. Hakan Çalhanoglu was lively, testing Svilar twice, while Ndicka went close for Roma with a header from Paulo Dybala’s corner.
After the break, Denzel Dumfries saw his effort saved as Inter continued to threaten on the counter.
Roma then grew into the contest, forcing goalkeeper Yann Sommer into three rapid saves, twice denying Dybala and once thwarting Mario Hermoso’s header.
Artem Dovbyk missed a golden chance to equalize, nodding wide with Sommer stranded, before Inter nearly put the game to bed late on when Henrikh Mkhitaryan struck the post in the 84th minute.
It wasn’t vintage Inter, but Bonny’s early brilliance and Chivu’s disciplined setup were enough to keep their winning streak alive and send them to the summit of Serie A.
