Inter were denied the chance to go top of Serie A after Udinese won 3-1 at Stadio Friuli thanks to late goals from Jaka Bijol and Tolgay Arslan.
Within five minutes, the visitors took the lead thanks to Nicolo Barella, before a Milan Skriniar own goal brought the hosts back into the game.
Both teams appeared to be content with a draw until Bijol’s powerful header off Gerard Deulofeu’s corner, followed by Arslan’s sharp header in injury time, sealed the points for Udinese.
Defeat means Simone Inzaghi’s side will have to fight their way back into the top four in October, with the result moving Udinese ahead of Milan’s clash with Napoli and Atalanta’s trip to Roma.
Inter took an early lead thanks to a brisk end-to-end opening, with Barella steering a sublime free-kick into the top-left corner from 20 yards out.
Udinese, on the other hand, were unfazed, and when Skriniar deflected Roberto Pereyra’s free kick past his own goalkeeper, parity was restored.
Edin Dzeko thought he had put Inter back on top ten minutes into the second half, only to be flagged for offside after turning Barella’s ball into the back of the net.
That reprieve encouraged Udinese, who applied pressure to Samir Handanovic’s goal and were rewarded when Bijol escaped his marker to complete the comeback.
Inter’s late push for an equalizer failed, and Arslan’s close-range finish signaled pandemonium among the home fans, as Udinese’s excellent start to the season continued.
What does it imply? Inter suffers yet another setback.
After having the opportunity to temporarily vault both their hosts and the rest of the pack to the summit, Inzaghi’s side could now finish as low as eighth going into the international break.
Even in a crowded European battle, that is a long way from where they want to be.
Club record for Udinese matches
Udinese’s stunning start is not only spectacular to watch, but also a record-breaking achievement. They now have 16 points from seven games, which is the same as their best Serie A start since 2000-01.
Skriniar suffers once more.
The Slovakian is gaining an unfavorable reputation for putting the ball in his own net. Since the start of the 2017-18 season, when he made his club debut, no other player has scored more Serie A own goals than he has.
Important Opta Facts
- Under Massimo Oddo, Udinese have won five consecutive Serie A games for the first time since December 2017.
– Meanwhile, Inter have lost three consecutive Serie A away games for the first time since May 2017, when Stefano Pioli was in charge.
– In Serie A 22-23, Udinese has the most goals (6) in the last 15 minutes of play. Seven of Udinese’s last eight league goals have come in the final 20 minutes of play.
– Barella scored the league’s quickest goal (5′). In his last four Serie A appearances, he has been directly involved in four goals (2 goals, 2 assists).
What comes next?
Inter return to Serie A action on October 1 against Roma, while Udinese travel to Verona two days later on October 3.