Cagliari tried to bounce back from their narrow loss to Venezia, but the arrival of Inter presented a major challenge, with the Scudetto candidates riding an 11-match unbeaten league run.
To their credit, the Isolani held firm early on, even when Lautaro Martínez squandered a golden opportunity from the edge of the box, misdirecting Nicolò Barella's sharp cross with a header that grazed the top of the crossbar.
Despite Davide Nicola's men testing the visitors' resolve with quick counters at the other end, and Barella's thunderous strike forcing a spectacular save from Simone Scuffet, neither side managed to break the deadlock before the break.
As a result, Cagliari narrowly avoided going behind at half-time for the tenth time in the competition, while Inter maintained their status as the only Serie A team still trailing at half-time this season.
Inter wasted little time after the restart, shattering Cagliari's resistance when Alessandro Bastoni guided Barella's cross into the far corner with a looping header beyond Scuffet's reach.
Nicola introduced a couple of fresh legs around the hour mark, but that proved rather futile as Martínez found the net for the tenth time against his favorite Serie A opponents, effortlessly guiding Barella's precise delivery from the right flank into the back of the net.
Mateusz Wieteska then handled the ball inside the penalty area, allowing Hakan Çalhanoğlu to bury the ensuing penalty with aplomb in the left corner.
From there, Simone Inzaghi and his men went full-time and ended 2024 on a high note by claiming their 27th victory this calendar year. The reigning champions are now unbeaten at the top level for 12 consecutive times, having last fallen to rivals AC Milan in September.
In stark contrast, Cagliari remain stuck in the drop zone after suffering their tenth defeat this season, with five in a row now – marking their worst losing streak since February.
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