Inter Milan opens six-point lead in Serie A

PARMA, Italy (Reuters) – Forgotten man Alexis Sanchez scored twice to earn Inter Milan a 2-1 win at Parma on Thursday, moving the Serie A leaders six points clear at the top of the standings.

Both teams had chances to score in the first half, with Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic forced into a fine save by the hosts’ Jasmin Kurtic, while Inter’s Romelu Lukaku could not convert from a good position just before the interval.

Antonio Conte’s side showed their quality after the break as Sanchez latched on to a loose ball to score in the 54th minute and the Chilean forward added a second eight minutes later after brilliant work from Lukaku. 

Parma cut the deficit through Hernani’s close-range finish in the 71st minute, but Inter held on for another vital victory in their bid for a first Scudetto in 11 years. 

A sixth league win in a row moved the leaders on to 59 points, six clear of AC Milan and 10 ahead of champions Juventus in third.

Struggling Parma stayed 19th, six points from safety, and without a league win since November.