Lautaro fires Inter six points clear as Napoli win but injury woes grow
Lautaro Martinez scored in the 20th minute to give Inter Milan a 1-0 win at Udinese on Saturday, stretching their lead at the Serie A summit to six points. The Argentine's finish capped a dominant performance that maintained Inter's nine-match unbeaten run in Italy's top flight, with coach Cristian Chivu praising his team's high pressing and defensive courage. Inter have taken 25 points from a possible 27 since losing the Milan derby in late November, showing ruthless consistency against smaller sides that rivals AC Milan and Napoli have lacked. However, their record against top opposition will be tested Tuesday when Premier League leaders Arsenal visit San Siro for a crucial Champions League clash. Inter's European form has faltered after four straight wins, with two consecutive defeats leaving direct qualification for the last 16 in doubt. Napoli stayed third, six points behind Inter, after Stanislav Lobotka's first club goal in over three years secured a 1-0 home win over Sassuolo. The Slovakian midfielder's rebound in the seventh minute ended Napoli's run of three straight draws. But the victory came at a cost with injury-stricken Napoli potentially missing three more players. Eljif Elmas, Amir Rrahmani and Matteo Politano all suffered knocks, joining long-term absentees Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and Andre-Frank Anguissa on the sidelines. Politano required immediate treatment after the final whistle, with assistant coach Cristian Stellini admitting they won't know the full extent until later this week. Antonio Conte's side now travel to Denmark to face FC Copenhagen in a match crucial to their Champions League survival. Juventus remain fourth, ten points behind Inter, but have improved under Luciano Spalletti and are heavy favourites at Cagliari tonight.