Inter Milan will head into the international break with growing pressure in the Serie A title race after being held to a 1-1 draw by Fiorentina at the Stadio Artemio Franchi on Sunday.
Inter made a dream start, striking just 39 seconds in as Francesco Pio Esposito rose to head home a pinpoint delivery from Nicolò Barella after Fiorentina failed to deal with Denzel Dumfries’ long throw.
The visitors thought they had doubled their advantage soon after when Barella’s effort deflected into the net, but the goal was chalked off for offside.
Fiorentina also had a disallowed effort before the break, with Moise Kean seeing his volley ruled out following a deflection off Carlos Augusto.
Fiorentina emerged stronger in the second half and were rewarded in the 77th minute. After Yann Sommer denied Albert Gudmundsson, Cher Ndour reacted quickest to slot home the rebound and level the contest.
Inter pushed for a late winner, but both Manuel Akanji and Esposito were denied by an outstanding David de Gea, who ensured the hosts held on for a point.
The result leaves Inter looking over their shoulders at rivals AC Milan, who have now cut the gap at the top to five points, raising hopes of a late title challenge.
Despite the dropped points, Esposito’s emergence remains a bright spot. The young striker has now scored six league goals this season, joining Nicola Ventola, Obafemi Martins, and Mario Balotelli as one of the few Inter players to hit more than five Serie A goals before turning 21 in the three-points-for-a-win era.
On balance, Inter may feel fortunate to escape with a draw, having generated an expected goals tally of 1.32 from 12 attempts, compared to Fiorentina’s superior 2.28 from 16 shots.
