Inter's two early goals beat Como despite losing the ball

Inter beat Como 2-0 at San Siro while having far less of the ball than usual, and the chances explain how.

Inter were two goals up inside nineteen minutes, and that is the first thing to know about this match. Pio Esposito scored in the 12th minute with Djed Spence providing the assist, and Marcus Thuram added a second in the 19th. From there Como had a long evening of chasing the game.

The surprise is what happened to the ball. Inter had 43% of possession, against a season average of 62.6% over their ten home matches. Como, who usually average 62% away from home, had 57%. In other words, the hosts gave up far more of the ball than they normally do, and still left with the points.

Possession only tells part of the story, so look at what each side did with it. Inter took 14 shots, 10 of them from inside the box, which is fewer than their usual 21.4 but enough to matter. Their chances were worth 1.9 expected goals, a score for the quality of chances that rates each shot by how often a similar one tends to go in. That is below their usual 2.42, but it was the stronger attack on the night by some distance.

Como's problem was not the amount of the ball but what came from it. They had 5 shots, against an away average of 19.2, and their expected goals total was 0.22, against a usual 1.71 and a league figure of 1.49 per side. Only one of those shots was on target, and Inter's keeper dealt with it. Their possession was real, but it rarely reached the penalty area with a clear chance attached.

Marcus Thuram was the most dangerous Inter player, taking five shots and finishing the match with a rating of 8.2 as evidence of how much he was involved. Pio Esposito, who scored early, was booked in the 72nd minute and replaced a minute later. M. Kempf was busy at the other end for Como, winning six duels, but a defender winning the ball is a different thing from a forward creating a chance.

In the table, Inter are third on 25 points from ten matches and Como are fourth on 23, so the gap between the two sides is two points. Both clubs are close to the top of the division, and this result kept Inter's place among them while Como's did not move.

Como arrived on the back of six straight wins, and this was the first match in that run that did not end in a victory. They left San Siro without a goal, and the defeat stopped a streak that had carried them into the match.

Player of the matchM. Thuram1 goal8.2

F. Esposito1 goal8.0

D. Spence1 assist7.5

A. Bastoni1 duels won7.3