ROME (AFP) – Inter Milan consolidated their second place in Serie A on Wednesday with a 3-0 away thrashing of 10-man Empoli.
Europa League champions Atalanta climbed to third with a 2-0 win over lowly Monza, as Juventus again shed valuable points and dropped to fourth with a 2-2 home draw with Parma.
Resurgent Napoli are four points clear at the top of the table on 25 after they beat AC Milan 2-0 on Tuesday in a match that featured a sensational winning strike by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
But defending champions Inter kept pace Wednesday when they overwhelmed Emopli who played with 10 men after the half hour as Saba Goglichidze walked for a dangerous tackle on Marcus Thuram.
A brace from Davide Frattesi, a deflection and a composed finish in the 50th and 67th minutes, put Simone Inzaghi's Inter in the driving seat while Lautaro Martinez's 79th minute clincher came after a defensive blunder.
"It was important to win after Napoli's victory," Inter captain Martinez said.
This was a fifth league match without defeat for Inter following their barnstorming 4-4 draw with Juventus at the weekend.
After the game Inzaghi said he hadn't been thinking about Empoli or Napoli, but about the two points they dropped at the weekend.
"I've been thinking a lot over the last two days about our draw against Juve, there are things that didn't work and we should have won that match," Inter coach Inzaghi fumed despite this latest win.
Unbeaten in Serie A so far this season Juventus went 1-0 down inside three minutes when an unmarked Enrico Del Prato headed home for Parma.
While Weston McKennie equalised on 31 minutes a second defensive calamity allowed Simon Sohm a free shot on goal before the break.
Timothy Weah dragged Juve level just after the restart, but Juve are now seven points adrift of leaders Napoli.
Udinese were beaten 3-2 by promoted Venezia, who trailed 2-0 before Joel Pohjanpalo converted a pair of penalties followed by a strike from Hans Nicolussi Caviglia to climb off the bottom of the table.
Atalanta overcame a plucky Monza with late goals from Lazar Samardzic and Davide Zappacosta as the Bergamo based side climbed third on 19 points, one ahead of Juve.