Three were sent off in Florence as Paulo Sousa’s side netted a late winner against the Nerazzurri.
Khouma Babacar was the hero for the Viola in a pulsating encounter at the Stadio Artemio Franchi that ended 2-1 in favour of the home side.
Roberto Mancini’s men were the first to open the scoring, against the run of play it has to be said, as Marcelo Brozovic emphatically hit home from near the penalty spot after finding himself unmarked following Rodrigo Palacio’s clever cross into the box just before the half-hour mark.
Precisely on the hour, Spanish playmaker Borja Valero equalised from close-range with a well placed header into the bottom corner and past Samir Handanovic in goal for Inter, shortly before the game hit boiling point.
With less than 10 minutes to go, Alex Telles was given a second yellow for a trip on the brilliant Federico Bernardeschi, with Babacar bundling home the late winner in stoppage time shortly after as Handanovic failed to hold onto Mauro Zárate’s tame shot.
With just seconds left in the match, former Inter man Zárate found himself on the receiving end of a red card following an innocuous incident between himself and tough tackling centre-back Jeison Murillo, whilst Geoffrey Kondogbia saw red shortly after the final whistle for a sarcastic applause aimed at the referee.
With Sousa’s men beginning the brighter of the two sides, Bernardeschi and Josip Ilicic tested Handanovic with low efforts inside the opening 10 minutes following forays into the box down the left-wing.
The Viola then nearly went ahead as the pair combined in the same area of the pitch following a counter attack, with Ilicic’s shot beating Handanovic but not Telles, who cleared off the line.
Inter then had an opportunity off a corner, however, Murillo could not get enough on his header as the ball eventually went out for a throw in.
Shortly after, Brozovic scored, with Palacio starting the attack with an intelligent pass in the middle and continuing his run which allowed him to receive the ball inside Fiorentina’s box and pick out the Croatian.
Handanovic then acrobatically kept Matías Vecino’s header from finding its way into the back of the net prior to half time.
Early in the second half, Ilicic saw his effort from range fizzle out for a goal kick, shortly before Valero equalised following a dangerous delivery into the box from the Slovenian.
With the home crowd roaring back into life, former Palermo midfielder Ilicic blasted a free kick over the bar, with the Artemio Franchi then becoming increasingly vibrant following Telles’ sending off.
With the extra man advantage and buoyed by the home crowd, Fiorentina managed to find the winner, with a rare error from Handanovic gifting Sousa’s side the three points and Zárate and Kondogbia sent off shortly after.
The win sees the Florentine club reclaim third place on 49 points, with Inter – having won just one in their last seven and two in their last nine in the league – now in danger of losing fifth place to rivals AC Milan who are just two points behind the Nerazzurri.
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Inter struggle to contain Bernardeschi
Prior to Inter taking the lead, when the young Italian was operating on the left-flank, the away side was unable to stop Bernardeschi from dribbling, teasing and mesmerising Yuto Nagatomo in particular as well as the Nerazzurri defence with his tricky skills and intelligent running toward and behind the opposing players.
It was this which formed such tantalising link up play between the 21-year-old and Ilicic and allowed Fiorentina to hold dominance over Inter deep in their own territory in the first half, a period in which the Viola were incredibly unlucky to not be leading.
Even in the second half when Cristian Tello was taken off and Bernardeschi was shifted into his favoured position on the right-wing, it made no difference for the Fiorentina youth product as he gave Telles trouble on the left side of Inter’s defence prior to his sending off for a foul on the Italian.
Whoever he came up against, the Viola’s number 10 was a nuisance all throughout the 90 minutes as he dribbled, created and probed in a man of the match performance.
Viola press chokes Inter in midfield
In a season in which Inter have one of the highest percentages of possession per 90 minutes in the league, Fiorentina held dominance over their opponents in that department with 62% compared to the Nerazzurri’s 38% in this match.
The home side’s constant pressuring and nagging put Mancini’s men out of their comfort zone as they were unable to hold onto the ball for sustained periods of time, something they are not accustomed to this season. As Sousa’s side pressed and ‘blanketed’ Inter all over the pitch, multiple turnovers occurred, which in turn allowed the club from Florence to produce counter attacking opportunities that led to multiple chances on goal.
Not allowing Inter much time on the ball to dictate and slow down the game’s play was key to the Viola emerging victorious, as they managed to grab their first win from a losing position in Serie A in 2015-16.
Icardi isolated
Another game, another case of Inter’s number nine not receiving much service and time on the ball. Mauro Icardi, once again, failed to get involved in his side’s play, with Palacio doing most of the running and linking for the side in Inter’s front third.
With Brozovic the only creative outlet in midfield, and two strikers playing on the wings in Eder and Palacio, the club captain was a lonely figure all throughout. Inter’s slow build up and constant unambitious sideways and backwards passing did not help the poacher get into the game, and the lack of chances Inter created was a result of this.
This style that has been associated with the Nerazzurri for much of the season is obstructive to the team as well as Icardi himself, who plays on the shoulder of the defender and thrives in the penalty area.
Conclusion
Fiorentina, once again, outfoxed their black and blue opponents, though this time the result is far less harsh on Inter Milan.
The home side’s wing play and pressing in midfield were key factors to Sousa’s men emerging victorious against their Milanese opponents as they ran them ragged and controlled the flow of play for much of the game.
Nagatomo was constantly exposed at right-back by the electric Bernardeschi, showing he is not good enough for a consistent starting role in a side with ambitions of qualifying for the Champions League.
Aside from this, Inter did defend well for large periods of the game and positioned themselves well when not on the ball, though their link up play with the attack requires major improvement if they are to reclaim a top three berth.
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