Inter Milan extended their lead at the summit of Serie A to 10 points on Friday with a comfortable 4-0 victory over struggling Salernitana, setting the stage for their upcoming Champions League encounter with Atletico Madrid.
Simone Inzaghi appeared increasingly poised to secure his maiden league title as a coach, guiding a dominant Inter side that made light work of bottom-placed Salernitana.
The dynamic strike duo of Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez swiftly put Inter in control with two goals in the opening half, while Denzel Dumfries added a third just before halftime, and Marko Arnautovic sealed the deal with a late strike.
It was another commanding display from Inter, who fielded a lineup closely resembling Inzaghi's preferred starting XI and are determined to surpass local rivals AC Milan with a 20th league title.
Juventus have the chance to reduce the gap to seven points, with a game in hand, if they secure victory against struggling Verona on Saturday.
However, Inter's flawless record of eight consecutive wins since the start of the year underscores their superiority over their rivals as they gear up for Atletico Madrid's visit in the first leg of their Round of 16 clash on Tuesday.
Salernitana, under the management of Inzaghi's former Lazio teammate Fabio Liverani, were outplayed in their inaugural match following the departure of Filippo Inzaghi, the elder brother of Inter's coach, earlier in the week.
Liverani faces a daunting task as Salernitana languish six points adrift of safety, with Sassuolo just above the relegation zone. Sassuolo face a stern test against Champions League hopefuls Atalanta on Saturday evening.
Inter's dominance was evident from the outset, with Thuram breaking the deadlock in the 17th minute after a Carlos Augusto cross. By that point, Thuram and Nicolo Barella had both struck the woodwork.
Martinez doubled Inter's lead to 20 Serie A goals for the season, evading Jerome Boateng before slotting home a sublime finish, effectively sealing the victory within the opening 20 minutes.
Salernitana failed to register a single shot on target as Inter maintained relentless pressure from the outset. Inzaghi even had the luxury of substituting key players with half an hour remaining.
The icing on the cake came in the final minute when Arnautovic, who has endured a challenging spell since joining Inter in the summer, tapped in Dumfries' deflected cross.
Inter now shift their focus to Tuesday's showdown at San Siro, aiming to replicate last season's journey to the Champions League final.