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Inter hold off AC Milan in frenetic 5-goal derby

MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP / Getty

The Milan derby has life again.

Inter and AC Milan put on a show Sunday at the San Siro, with the former earning a crucial 3-2 victory in a frenetic, back-and-forth affair.

The win was ultimately secured through a Lautaro Martinez penalty in the second half, and it sees the Nerazzurri leapfrog their city rivals for third in the Serie A table.

Amid a raucous atmosphere inside the jam-packed Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, the two Champions League hopefuls went blow-for-blow, trading opportunities and, naturally, rugged tackles.

A third-minute strike from Matias Vecino gave Inter a dream start. Then when Stefan de Vrij doubled the lead shortly after halftime, Luciano Spalletti's men seemed to be in complete control.

However, the Rossoneri refused to go away, cutting the lead in half when Tiemoue Bakayoko found the net with a superb header in the 57th minute.

Martinez restored the two-goal advantage from the spot midway through the second half, and although Mateo Musacchio again brought Milan within one just minutes later, Gennaro Gattuso's side couldn't find the equalizer despite waves of late pressure.

"We need to say well done to Lautaro for the penalty, well done to Perisic for the runs, well done to everyone for all you did. Bravo, Bravo to everyone in that dressing room," Spalletti said after the match.

"Lautaro is powerful, has technique, confidence. You just need to look him in the eyes and you can tell he can take on everything," he added. "We've found a young striker who can sort a lot of things out for us."

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