Inter Milan missed the chance to restore a 10-point lead at the top of Serie A after conceding a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Atalanta at the San Siro.

Having seen their advantage cut to seven points following a 1-0 defeat to rivals AC Milan, Inter were eager to bounce back against an Atalanta side still reeling from a 6-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League earlier in the week.

The visitors created the first opening in the 12th minute when Gianluca Scamacca tested Yann Sommer with a long-range strike. The Inter goalkeeper spilled the effort but recovered quickly to deny Lazar Samardzic from capitalising on the rebound.

That early moment proved deceptive, however, as Inter soon took control of the match. After dominating possession, the Nerazzurri broke the deadlock in the 26th minute when Francesco Pio Esposito met Nicolo Barella’s pass in the box and drilled a low shot beyond Marco Carnesecchi.

Inter pushed for a second goal before the break, with Piotr Zielinski seeing a deflected effort fly just wide and Marcus Thuram narrowly missing the target after latching onto Yann Bisseck’s searching pass.

Atalanta coach Raffaele Palladino reacted early in the second half with a double substitution, though Inter continued to dominate. Thuram came close to doubling the lead, but Carnesecchi was alert to smother the close-range effort.

The visitors eventually found their moment late on. Kamaldeen Sulemana won possession from Denzel Dumfries deep in Inter’s half and surged toward goal before seeing his shot parried by Sommer. The rebound fell perfectly for Nikola Krstovic, who tapped in to level the match.

Tempers flared late in the contest, with Inter manager Cristian Chivu shown a second yellow card and sent off five minutes from time. Appeals for a penalty from Davide Frattesi were waved away shortly afterwards as Inter searched for a winner.

In the end, the Nerazzurri were left to rue their missed opportunities as two crucial points slipped away. The draw leaves Inter eight points clear of AC Milan, albeit having played a game more, while Atalanta remain winless in three league matches (D2, L1) as their hopes of European qualification continue to fade.