ONE TOUCH SUMMARY
- Inter beat Udinese 5-3 at San Siro after recovering from two goals down to stay perfect
- Roma won 2-0 at Torino with Donyell Malen scoring his sixth goal in four games
- John Stones limped off on his first Inter start after free transfer from Manchester City
ONE TOUCH INSIGHT
Inter's four wins from four is the least reassuring perfect start in Serie A. Two of those games began with a two-goal deficit — Napoli last time out, Udinese here, through Abankwah's looping ninth-minute header off a short corner and Ekkelenkamp slotting in from close range sixteen minutes in. Chivu's side needed Augusto's long-range strike, Barella's equaliser before the break, then Thuram rolling in after Diouf cut it back. That is a rescue act with a bow on it.
Roma's record reads cleaner. Malen's sixth goal in four games and Pisilli's stoppage-time second against Torino is a team scoring from structure rather than from crisis. Inter are scoring from crisis, and the cost has started to show. Stones pulled up chasing an Udinese breakaway, clutching the back of his thigh, off on 62 minutes in his first start since arriving from Manchester City — the precise signing meant to stop a back line shipping two.
Stones' thigh scan, and whether Chivu has him for the next league round, tells us more about Inter's autumn than the table does.
WHY IT MATTERS
Inter and Roma setting a relentless early pace turns Serie A into a two-team sprint, while Inter's repeated comebacks reveal champion resilience but also defensive fragility.
TACTICAL FIT
Inter's high-turnover attack and Chivu's willingness to chase games from behind make them dangerous, but Stones' injury forces Pavard into a back line already conceding three at home.
THE DEBATE
Are Inter's thrilling comebacks a sign of champions or a defensive warning?
Multiple Authors
Sep 14, 2026, 05:15 PM ET
Share
Open Extended Reactions
Defending champions Inter Milan produced another rousing comeback to beat Udinese 5-3 at San Siro and continue their perfect start to the new Serie A campaign.
Udinese had taken a shock 2-0 lead through James Abankwah's early header and then a close-range strike from Jurgen Ekkelenkamp.
The Nerazzurri -- who had came from 2-0 down to beat Napoli late on in their last Serie A game -- fought back as Carlos Augusto drilled in a long range effort and Nicolò Barella equalised before halftime.
Marcus Thuram's sweeping finish completed the turnaround in the 57th minute, before England defender John Stones -- making a first start since his free transfer move from Manchester City - limped off having pulled up after chasing an Udinese breakaway.
Pio Esposito and substitute Ange-Yoan Bonny then wrapped things up, with Idrissa Gueye scoring a late consolation for the visitors.
The win means Cristian Chivu's side kept pace with leaders Roma, who won 2-0 over Torino earlier on Monday, on a 100 percent record from four league games.
In-form striker Donyell Malen scored his sixth goal in four games to put Roma ahead and Niccolò Pisilli got a deserved second in stoppage time in the early game to put Roma atop the table until Inter's storming comeback saw Chivu's side draw level.
Udinese had earlier stunned the San Siro faithful when Republic of Ireland defender Abankwah sent a looping header over Inter keeper Josep Martínez from a short corner after nine minutes.
Inter were almost swiftly back on level terms when Thuram's downward header was saved at the near post by Udinese keeper Maduka Okoye, who also showed great reactions to block the striker's follow-up effort.
Udinese then doubled their lead in the 16th minute when Ekkelenkamp slotted in from close range past Martinez after being picked out by Keinan Davis.
Inter -- beaten at Real Madrid in their opening Champions League match last week -- reduced the deficit in the 26th minute through Augusto's fine long-range effort into the far corner.
Barella had the home side level 10 minutes before half-time when he picked up Thuram's lay-off in the right side of the box, stumbled back to his feet and fired in an angled strike.
Inter's relentless second-half pressure eventually told when Andy Diouf broke down the right and into the Udinese penalty area before cutting the ball back for Thuram to roll a low shot into the far corner.
Stones was then replaced by Benjamin Pavard in the 62nd minute after he went down, clutching the back of his thigh, having chased an Udinese breakaway.
Inter added a fourth in the 67th minute when Piotr Zielinski's quick pass found Esposito to dispatch a low finish after a clever sequence in tight space.
With 10 minutes left, Inter broke down the left and Bonny reacted quickest to lash home a loose ball after his initial shot had been saved by Okoye, before Gueye grabbed a late consolation for Udinese in stoppage time.
Information from PA and The Associated Press was used in this report.
AI-assisted · generated from ESPN FC reporting, not editor reviewed
