Inter 6-0 Brescia: Nerazzurri thrash Serie A strugglers

Inter's top scorer Romelu Lukaku, who has found the net 19 times in Serie A, remained on the bench for the first 68 minutes as two of the Belgian's former team-mates at Manchester United shone instead.

Ashley Young volleyed in the first following a cross from Alexis Sanchez, who then converted a 20th-minute penalty after Victor Moses had been fouled.

Danilo D'Ambrosio and Roberto Gagliardini scored headers either side of half-time, with substitutes Christian Eriksen and Antonio Candreva adding late strikes as third-placed Inter kept their slim title hopes alive, moving eight points behind leaders Juventus.

It might have been a different story had Alfredo Donnarumma not blazed over in the third minute following a loose pass from Young.

The Inter left-back soon made up for that, though, steering a right-footed volley home two minutes later after being picked out by Sanchez.

#InterBrescia #FORZAINTER pic.twitter.com/Gj3yrNXeI8

— Inter (@Inter_en) July 1, 2020

Brescia had an even bigger mountain to climb when Moses got the wrong side of Ales Mateju in the box and was fouled, allowing Sanchez to double the Nerazzurri's lead from the penalty spot.

Lautaro Martinez flashed a header just wide and Jesse Joronen clawed a corner off his line but Inter would not be denied a third, D'Ambrosio heading in from Young's looped delivery.

Martinez was frustrated not to get in on the act with two good chances either side of the break, though the home side were grateful to Young for sliding in and clearing inside the six-yard box at the start of the second period.

However, any thoughts Brescia had of getting back into the contest were extinguished by Gagliardini nodding in from Sanchez's 52nd-minute free-kick.

Conte showed no mercy by introducing Lukaku, Eriksen and Candreva from the bench, and the latter soon crashed an effort against the crossbar.

Eriksen then added a fifth, scoring at the second attempt after Joronen had initially denied both the midfielder and Lukaku, before Candreva rounded off the rout with a sixth Inter goal with two minutes to go.

Juventus just keep winning, so it may not matter how Inter fare, but all the Nerazzurri can do is pick up victories of their own and hope the leaders slip up, and Conte's side have taken 10 points from a possible 12 since the resumption.

For Brescia, still eight points adrift of safety, Serie B surely beckons.

With Lukaku and Eriksen starting on the bench, it was an unlikely source who provided the goals and the guile.

Hey @England, you seeing this @youngy18 performance? #InterBrescia #FORZAINTER pic.twitter.com/pY3eQjeJco

— Inter (@Inter_en) July 1, 2020

Left-back Young scored one, made another and weighed in with a vital goal-saving intervention early in the second half that might have given Brescia a route back.

Without a win in 13 Serie A games before this, Brescia could not afford to squander any clear chances that came their way.

And yet that is exactly what happened when Donnarumma was put in in the opening three minutes. It was hard to believe he had scored in the previous two games, and it set the tone for a rotten evening.