LONDON - Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s double helped Inter Milan remain unbeaten in Serie A with a 5-1 thrashing of bitter rivals AC Milan on Saturday, reported PA Media/dpa.
They got off to the perfect start in the Milan derby, going ahead through Mkhitaryan before extending their advantage when Marcus Thuram hit a stunning strike into the top corner.
Rafael Leao gave Milan some hope with a quick finish after the break, but Inter cruised to victory when Mkhitaryan’s second was followed by Hakan Calhanoglu’s penalty and Davide Frattesi’s last-minute strike.
The win ensures Inter remain top of the table and are two points clear of Juventus, who beat Lazio 3-1 earlier in the day through Dusan Vlahovic’s brace.
The Serbia striker and Federico Chiesa gave Juve the lead and though Luis Alberto pulled one back for the visitors, Vlahovic put the game to bed.
Reigning Scudetto champions Napoli were forced to come from behind to snatch a draw with Genoa.
Goals from Mattia Bani and Mateo Retegui looked set to seal a historic victory for the home side, but substitute Giacomo Raspadori and Matteo Politano struck in the last 15 minutes to earn a point.
Barcelona moved to the top of the La Liga table after hammering Real Betis 5-0.
Joao Felix opened his account for the club with his first goal since arriving on loan from Atletico Madrid at the start of the month and Robert Lewandowski doubled the lead going into the break.
Ferran Torres and substitute Raphinha also got on the scoresheet before Joao Cancelo rounded off a dominant evening for Barca.
Athletic Bilbao is third in the table after beating Cadiz 3-0 and Mallorca beat Celta Vigo 1-0, while Valencia stunned Atletico Madrid to hand them their first defeat in the league.
Hugo Duro scored twice and Javi Guerra rounded off a 3-0 win to take Valencia fifth and Diego Simeone’s side will be hoping to bounce back against Lazio in the Champions League on Tuesday before their derby against Real Madrid next weekend.
Ibrahim Salah’s 89th-minute goal helped Rennes come from behind to salvage a 2-2 draw with Lille in Ligue 1.
Seventeen-year-old Leny Yoro and Bafode Diakite gave Lille the advantage before Lorenz Assignon pulled one back with 16 minutes of normal time to play and Salah snatched a point at the death.
Metz sits between both sides in sixth after beating struggling Lens 1-0 in Saturday’s other fixture. - BERNAMA