Inter Milan suffered another setback in their bid to reclaim the Serie A title after being held to a 1-1 draw by Atalanta on Saturday at the San Siro.
The visitors rescued a point late in the match when Nikola Krstovic struck in the 82nd minute, cancelling out Francesco Pio Esposito’s opener for Inter.
Esposito had given the hosts the lead in the 26th minute, finishing with an angled drive that appeared to put Inter on course to extend their lead at the top of the table to 10 points.
However, controversy erupted when Atalanta equalised late in the game. Krstovic converted after a rebound from Kamaldeen Sulemana’s shot, but Inter players protested that Sulemana had pushed Denzel Dumfries in the build-up to the goal.
Inter coach Cristian Chivu reacted angrily to the decision and was sent off for his protests by referee Gianluca Manganiello during a tense finale in heavy rain in Milan.
Dumfries was left holding his head in frustration when Manganiello pointed to the centre circle, confirming the goal and denying Inter the chance to strengthen their grip on the title race.
The result also gives AC Milan an opportunity to close the gap on their city rivals. Milan could move to within five points of Inter if they beat S.S. Lazio in Rome on Sunday.
Home supporters were further angered moments later when Davide Frattesi went down in the penalty area following contact from Giorgio Scalvini, but the referee waved play on after determining no foul had been committed.
In protest against the officiating decisions, no Inter representatives spoke to the media after the match.
For Atalanta, the draw represented a strong response after their 6-1 humiliation against FC Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League earlier in the week.
“I really liked the reaction of the team,” said Atalanta coach Raffaele Palladino. “It’s very easy to still be affected because we played Bayern only four days ago, but the team played like men and like the good players they are.”
Atalanta remain in contention for European qualification and are four points behind both Como 1907 and AS Roma, who meet on Sunday in a key clash in the race for the top four.
Meanwhile, Juventus F.C. — just one point behind Roma and Como — can move into the Champions League places with victory against Udinese Calcio.
Defending champions SSC Napoli sit 12 points behind Inter in third place, but could reduce that gap when they host US Lecce in Naples. Coach Antonio Conte’s side remain unbeaten at home in the league this season.
