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Livorno 0-2 Inter: Nerazzurri Stretch Their Lead Over Juventus At The Top
Italian champions Inter continue to maintain sole possession of the pole position in Serie A after a 2-0 victory over relegation-bound Livorno.
Nov 1, 2009 11:00:00 AM
After a barren first-half in which chances were few and far between, Inter score twice in the second period to secure yet another victory in Serie A. Diego Milito broke the deadlock against Livorno in the 49th minute and then with just ten minutes left to play Maicon added his name to the scoresheet to help the Nerazzurri pull themselves further ahead of Scudetto challengers Juventus.
The hosts started with Francesco Tavano as the lone striker upfront and Nico Pulzetti was entrusted with the responsibility of supplying him the ball. The Nerazzurri had striker Samuel Eto'o on the bench and had Diego Milito playing as the main attacker with Mancini and Dejan Stankovic shouldering the burden of creating chances for him.
Inter coach Jose Mourinho had one eye on midweek's key Champions League fixture and decided to rotate his squad. It didn't yield much in the opening exchanges as the Nerazzurri failed to create any concrete chances and the game was played at a slow pace.
Both sides tried to rip apart each other in the first 20 or so minutes but couldn't launch any notable challenge. Livorno put bodies in the midfield and made it tough for the visitors to play short quick passing football.
The first decent chance of the game fell to Livorno in the 18th minute when Antonio Candreva found himself with the ball on a quick counter-attacking move but couldn't get his shot past Inter custodian Julio Cesar.
Three minutes later Inter were dealt a blow when Sulley Muntari hurt himself going for a 50-50 ball with Marcus Diniz. He was eventually replaced by Esteban Cambiasso seven minutes later as Mourinho was forced to make an early substitution in the game.
The Inter players weren't looking too comfortable and didn't seem urgent to press on their Livorno counterparts. They were also guilty of giving away possession cheaply.
But in the 35th minute Mancini tried to send Diego Milito through when he turned away from his marker and poked the ball towards the Argentine striker, but Dario Knezevic's tight marking averted a potential danger for the hosts.
Two minutes later Livorno were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the Inter penalty area after Lucio was adjudged to have handled the ball. Candreva took the kick but it was sensationally saved by Cesar.
Three minutes later Pulzetti tried to break the deadlock but his volley went well over the Inter crossbar.
Inter got a great chance to take the lead in the 42nd minute when Rene Krhin laid the ball for Milito, who then chipped the ball into the Livorno box for an unmarked Patrick Vieira. But the former Arsenal midfielder failed to control the ball and gave it away easily.
Just before the half-time whistle the hosts got a good opportunity to shock the league leaders when Pulzetti played a clever ball to Luigi Vitale on the edge of the Inter penalty area but the Italian midfielder's low shot went just wide.
Jose Mourinho realised that Inter desperately needed an injection of pace and creativity and brought on Samuel Eto'o for Krhin at the start of the second half.
Three minutes later the Italian champions went ahead when Stankovic burst forward and fed Milito, who twisted and turned and shot home from the edge of the Livorno penalty area.
That early second half goal appeared to open up the game as the hosts demonstrated an immediate urgency to score. Both Pulzetti and Tavano threatened but neither came close.
The Milito goal seemed to have put Inter at ease and the players were happy to idly keep possession of the ball and slow the tempo of the game.
However, the next good chance of the game fell to the former European champions on 68 minutes when Candreva's mistake allowed Stankovic to pounce on the ball and the Serbian midfielder fed the ball to Vieira only for the Frenchman to be flagged offside.
Four minutes later Tavano had the best chance of the half for Livorno when he ran at the Inter defenders and tried to curl in the ball from outside the area. But he could not keep his shot on target.
A couple of minutes later Inter could have doubled their lead when Mancini whipped in a low free-kick from the left but Milito couldn't direct the ball towards the Livorno goal.
The visitors did eventually double their advantage and wrapped up the game in the 80th minute when Maicon burst through the middle and shot home a Vieira pass.
It was all over for Livorno at the stage with only ten minutes to play but the relegation candidates did come close in the 85th minute when Candreva forced Cesar to make a brilliant save from a free-kick.
A couple of minutes later Danilevicius tried his luck from just outside the area when he turned and fired a shot but couldn't keep it on target.
This wasn't a vintage Inter performance but coach Mourinho would be happy with the three points they take back home.
Subhankar Mondal, Goal.com
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