Inter Milan missed the chance to restore a 10-point cushion at the top of Serie A as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Atalanta at the San Siro.
After seeing their lead trimmed to seven points following a 1-0 defeat to AC Milan, Inter aimed to bounce back against an Atalanta side reeling from a 6-1 humiliation at the hands of Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League.
The visitors began brightly, with Gianluca Scamacca rattling the post in the 12th minute after a long-range effort that Yann Sommer struggled to control.
The Inter goalkeeper quickly recovered to deny Lazar Samardzic on the rebound, but the early warning proved to be Atalanta’s high point.
Inter soon seized control, and in the 26th minute, Francesco Pio Esposito capitalized on Nicolo Barella’s clever pass into the box, slotting a precise low finish past Marco Carnesecchi to give the Nerazzurri the lead.
The home side continued to press, coming close to doubling their advantage before halftime. Piotr Zielinski saw a deflected effort go wide, while Marcus Thuram narrowly missed when connecting with Yann Bisseck’s teasing cross.
Atalanta manager Raffaele Palladino made a double substitution early in the second half, but it did little to stem Inter’s dominance.
The visitors struggled to contain marauding centre-back Bisseck, and Thuram came close to scoring, only for Carnesecchi to make a timely save.
As the clock ticked down, Atalanta finally found a lifeline. Kamaldeen Sulemana dispossessed Denzel Dumfries deep in Inter territory, raced forward, and curled a shot that Sommer parried. Nikola Krstovic was on hand to tap in and level the score.
Inter protested late in the game, with Cristian Chivu sent off for a second yellow card five minutes from time and Davide Frattesi’s penalty appeals denied.
Despite dominating possession and creating multiple chances, Inter had to settle for a draw, leaving them eight points clear of AC Milan with a game in hand.
Meanwhile, Atalanta remains winless in three league outings (D2, L1). Their slow start, combined with poor away form, three wins from 12 games (D5, L4), continues to hinder their hopes of European qualification.
