A red-hot Ange-Yoan Bonny contributed to every goal in Inter Milan’s commanding 4-1 Serie A victory over newly-promoted Cremonese, extending the Nerazzurri’s winning run to five matches across all competitions.
Cremonese came into the contest on the back of a five-game unbeaten start, which started with a memorable 2-1 victory over AC Milan at San Siro on the opening day of the season.
However, their hopes of enjoying another successful trip to the iconic stadium were given a brutal reality check by Inter’s electric start to proceedings.
Lautaro Martinez required just six minutes to break the deadlock, sweeping the ball home from Bonny’s squared pass to register his fourth goal in three games.
Cristian Chivu’s confident charges thought they had quickly doubled their advantage when Federico Dimarco’s shot from distance deflected in off Manuel Akanji, only for VAR to rule that the Manchester City loanee had taken up an offside position.
Undeterred, the Nerazzurri continued to pepper the Cremonese goal in the opening quarter, as Davide Frattesi forced Marco Silvestri into a diving stop, before Henrikh Mkhitaryan was thwarted twice in quick succession.
As it proved, Inter’s pursuit of a deserved second required an element of patience, until Bonny steered a header in from Dimarco’s near-post cross in the final 10 minutes of a dominant first period.
Unfortunately for the visitors, the interval only offered a period of respite rather than the chance to reset, as the hosts continued their onslaught with two quickfire goals before the hour mark.
Bonny kept the ball alive from a corner to tee up Dimarco for a clinical drive into the bottom corner, before the striker provided his third assist of the game for Nicolo Barella to guide home his first goal since December.
While Inter sealed the spoils with minimum fuss, Chivu would have been frustrated to see his side miss out on a clean sheet following Federico Bonazzoli’s 87th-minute consolation from close range.
However, the hosts will still be pleased with a formidable display that moves them into fourth, while Cremonese slip to eighth after their first defeat of the campaign.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Ange-Yoan Bonny (Inter)