Inter Milan came from a goal down to ease to a crushing 6-1 home win over Bologna in Serie A on Wednesday and climb to fourth in the standings.
Inter, which lost 2-0 to bitter rival Juventus on Sunday, moved up three places on to 27 points, level with Atalanta in fifth and third-placed Lazio which hosts Monza on Thursday.
“Tonight we were playing against a team that had come from four consecutive victories,” Inter coach Simone Inzaghi told DAZN.
“We took an unfortunate goal but the team stayed in the game, scored immediately and gave a great response. We have won five games out of the last six.”
Bologna took the lead in the 22nd minute with a bizarre goal as a wild shot by Riccardo Orsolini bounced off the back of his team mate Charalampos Lykogiannis and into the net.
The visitor’s joy was short-lived, however, as striker Edin Dzeko levelled four minutes later with a superb first-time shot from the edge of the box.
Federico Dimarco made it 2-1 for Inter with a perfect free kick following Jhon Lucumi’s foul on Lautaro Martinez.
The Italy defender took a low shot from the edge of the box, sending it inside the left post.
Simone Inzaghi’s side added one more goal before halftime when Martinez nodded in a corner from midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu for his first goal in five games.
The host could have struck again just after halftime but Dzeko’s close-range header crashed off the bar.
One minute later, however, Dimarco netted again, evading his marker Joaquin Sosa inside the area and sending the ball into the bottom left corner.
Inter made it 5-1 through Calhanoglu’s spot-kick, after the penalty was awarded for Sosa’s handball, and Dzeko completed the rout with a tap-in in the 76th minute.
Substitute midfielder Kristjan Asllani could have further increased the scoreline but his powerful shot from outside the box hit the post.
“So far we’ve had some good games, today an ugly defeat, but we’re lucky to be able to play right away, play our game and improve many things as we have the quality to do so,” Bologna coach Thiago Motta said.
Inter travels to Atalanta on Sunday for their last game before the World Cup break. Bologna, which has earned just four points on the road this league season and is 13th in the standings, hosts 12th-placed Sassuolo on Saturday.