Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi has praised the mental strength of his players after they came back from two goals down to beat Empoli 4-2 in their Serie A clash at the San Siro.
Inter Milan overcome a shock start
Going into the game, Inter knew they had to win to keep up with leaders and city rivals AC Milan in the title race. However, their title hopes appeared to be up in smoke after Empoli took a shock two-goal lead inside the first 30-minutes.
Empoli, who recently ended Napoli's quest for the title, took the lead in the fifth through Andrea Pinamonti, who is on loan at the club from Inter.
It got worse for the Nerazzurri when Kristjan Asllani doubled the away side's advantage in the 28th-minute. However, Inter pulled one back through Simone Romagnoli's own goal before Lautaro Martinez ensured they went into the break level with a strike on the stroke of half-time.
Martinez then completed the comeback in the 64th-minute before Alexis Sanchez rounded up the scoring in the fourth minute of added time.
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Inzaghi praises Inter Milan's mental strength
It was a game that tested Inter's resolve, but they showed their quality. The team's display impressed Inzaghi, who praised the players for not giving up.
"I congratulated my players because we put in a great performance apart from the opening 20-25 minutes when we were too frenetic," Inzaghi told DAZN as per football italia.
"The good thing is, this team does not give up. This comeback represents a huge confidence booster. This team has been working hard since August 20, but we remained sharp and in the running."
"Empoli play very good football, so we needed to be more organised without the ball. Instead, we got too excitable and paid a heavy price with two goals," he added.
The result puts Inter back on top of the table, one point ahead of AC Milan, who play Hellas Verona this weekend.