Inter Player Ratings vs Monza: Martinez Unplayable

High-flying Serie A leaders Inter picked mid-table Monza apart in a scintillating 5-1 victory at Stadio Brianteo on Saturday night. Simone Inzaghi’s team maintained their near-flawless away league record (W8, D2) with a dominant display in Lombardy’s mini-derby.

An early penalty converted by Hakan Calhanoglu fired Inter in front, with Lautaro Martinez doubling the visitors’ lead inside the opening 15 minutes. Monza thought they had cut Nerazzurri’s advantage in half midway through the first half. Yet, VAR disallowed Matteo Pessina’s header for offside.

Calhanoglu made it 3-0 for Inter at the hour mark following a lightning-fast counter-attack. However, Raffaele Palladino’s side replied through Pessina, who put away a penalty to give the hosts a glimmer of hope. Martinez’s second goal of the night doused that optimism in the 84th minute.

Marcus Thuram put the icing on the cake in the 88th minute with a routine finish from inside the box, catapulting Inter five points clear of second-placed Juventus. Without further ado, let’s look at our player ratings.

Inter (3-5-2)

Yann Sommer – 6 

Though there was nothing he could’ve done to deny Pessina from the spot, the Swiss goalkeeper delivered another reassuring performance between the sticks. 

Benjamin Pavard – 6.5

Caught napping on a couple of occasions, the Frenchman looked rusty at times but often found a way to get away from tricky situations thanks to his vast experience. 

Stefan de Vrij – 7

Slotted in for Francesco Acerbi and excelled at the heart of Inzaghi’s backline. His positioning w