Inter Milan secured their seventh consecutive Serie A victory with a 2-0 win over US Lecce at the Stadio Ettore Giardiniero, marking their eighth straight head-to-head win against the Salentini under Cristian Chivu.

After a tough midweek loss in the Arctic Circle, Chivu rotated his squad with seven changes for the long journey south. Lecce, buoyed by consecutive wins earlier in the season, looked to defy the odds but were hit by an early setback.

Within a minute, Kialonda Gaspar was forced off with an injury while blocking a shot from Marcus Thuram footballer”], and Jamil Siebiert came on as his replacement. The German defender made an instant impact, producing a brilliant goal-line clearance in the 10th minute to deny Luis Henrique, whose side-footed volley looked certain to score after a cross from Federico Dimarco.

Lecce goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone also made key saves, including a strong hand stop from Francesco Esposito the hour mark.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan rewarded his manager’s faith in the 75th minute, finishing a sweeping move from Dimarco’s corner for his second league goal of the season. With the breakthrough easing pressure, Manuel Akanji powered home another Dimarco corner to seal the 2-0 victory.

Inter’s win increases the pressure on fellow Scudetto contenders AC Milan and Napoli to respond in their upcoming fixtures. Meanwhile, Lecce remain in 17th place, three points above the relegation zone, with two of the bottom three yet to play this matchweek.