Lukaku, Lautaro help Inter win big

At Carlo Castellani, Inter started not really well. They soon had to retreat to defend against the waves of the 15th ranked team. In the first 20 minutes, goalkeeper Samir Handanovic had to focus on neutralizing the finishing phases of Nicolo Cambiaghi and Tommaso Baldanzi.

Inter failed to create any chances in the first half. 30 minutes, Empoli continued to threaten the away team's goal with Roberto Gagliardini's long shot.

Play faded in the first half, but Inter suddenly changed after the break. The first belongs to Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian striker coordinates well with his teammates and makes accurate decisions. In the 48th minute, after turning on the wall with Brozovic, Lukaku sank into the far corner to open the score.

Empoli reacted poorly after the goal. Before the midfield regained Inter's form, the home team was no longer on the ball as easily as in the first half. In the 76th minute, Lukaku decided the match. After dribbling the ball to the left of the penalty area, the Belgian striker shot into the far corner to make it 2-0.

A brace against Empoli has lifted Lukaku's tally to five goals from the start of the 2022-2023 Serie A season and nine in all competitions. The 29-year-old has one goal in the Italian Cup and three in the Champions League.

Inter continued to put pressure after the first two goals. With the rise to find the equalizer, Empoli quickly fell into the counter-attack trap of the visitors. In the 88th minute, Lukaku passed Lautaro Martinez into the penalty area. The Argentinian striker handled one more beat, before sinking to seal a 3-0 victory.

The goal against Empoli is Lautaro's 19th goal in all competitions in the 2022-2023 season. The Argentine striker also marked his third season scoring at least 15 goals in Serie A.

This is Inter's first win in the last six Serie A rounds. The previous five rounds, they lost four and drew one. Inter are currently fifth with 54 points from 31 games, two points behind fourth-placed Roma and have played one more game.

Meanwhile, Empoli ranked 15th with 32 points, six points ahead of the group at risk of relegation.