Inter returned to the top of Serie A following a 2-0 away victory at Venezia, matching Lazio on 25 points. The champions face a crucial derby clash against Milan on Saturday after an unconvincing display. Inter coach Cristian Chivu acknowledged the performance was far from ideal preparation, telling Sky Sport his side needed to restore both mental and physical sharpness.
Bologna's Samuel Mbangula delivered a devastating hat-trick in a 4-2 victory over AC Milan at San Siro. The 22-year-old opened the scoring inside eight minutes before Milan's Alphadjo Cisse equalized and struck again to put the hosts ahead. Bologna flipped the match in the second half through own goals from Davide Bartesaghi and Tomori, with Mbangula adding two more finishes to complete his impressive display and leave Milan fifth.
Juventus extended their poor run with a 2-0 defeat at Genoa, continuing their shaky campaign. Napoli dominated Monza with a 4-1 victory to maintain their own challenge in the title race.
