Matteo Darmian scored the only goal to lift Inter into second place in Serie A as they edged lowly Venezia 1-0 at the Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo.
The result also saw Simone Inzaghi's side win their sixth consecutive away match in the competition, while also keeping a clean sheet for the first time in the club's history.
Inter broke the deadlock in the 16th minute after Lautaro Martinez's excellent touch and volley was saved by Filip Stankovic, before Darmian tucked away the rebound.
Martinez continued to threaten in the first half, but saw an effort saved by the Venezia goalkeeper nine minutes before half-time when Mehdi Taremi curled a goal just wide.
However, Venezia came close to equalizing through Issa Doumbia shortly after the break, but the unmarked Ivorian saw his shot deflected by Yann Sommer.
Substitute Davide Frattesi missed a brilliant opportunity to double Inter's lead in the 67th minute in a one-on-one with Stankovic, but he could not convert.
Venezia were inches away from salvaging a point when Gianluca Busio curled an effort against the post, allowing Inter to hold on for victory in the closing stages.
Inter is now only one point behind leaders Napoli, who will play against Hellas Verona later on Sunday.
Data debrief: Scudetto chases Inter impression
After suffering disappointment in the Supercoppa Italiana final against rivals AC Milan, Inzaghi's side responded superbly in their quest for the Serie A title.
Inter were worthy of their victory with an expected goals total (xG) of 1.79 from their 17 shots, while Venezia were also limited to just two attempts on target.
Darmian proved the unlikely match-winner, with the Italian scoring a goal in an away Serie A match against Monza for the first time since January 2023.
Venezia, meanwhile, have conceded goals in each of their last 15 league games, the longest run without a clean sheet among any team in this Serie A.
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