Inter extend lead at top of Serie A

The visitors had to wait until the final 15 minutes to decide the match. Veteran Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan opened the scoring with a half-volley from inside the box on 75 minutes, before Swiss defender Manuel Akanji headed in a corner delivered by Federico Dimarco eight minutes from time.

Title race advantage

It marked Inter’s seventh straight league win and their 21st of the season, lifting them to 64 points, ten ahead of city rivals AC Milan. Lecce remain 17th on 24 points.

The victory also eased the frustration of Inter’s recent European defeat to FK Bodø/Glimt and served as a strong warning ahead of the return leg at San Siro.