Inter won 2-0 at bottom side Venezia only after Matías Moreno and Redouane Halhal scored in their own net late on. The win restores Inter to joint top with Lazio, but Chivu's admission of luck hangs over the coming derby against Milan.

Provedel kept Inter alive before Venezia turned on themselves

Inter beat bottom side Venezia 2-0 on 28 October, but both goals came from the home defense. Matías Moreno turned the ball into his own net in the 79th minute. Redouane Halhal did the same three minutes later.

Until then, Venezia had the better of long spells. Chivu’s decision to start Provedel again paid off. The goalkeeper made first-half saves against Adams and turned a close-range Lauberbach effort onto the crossbar. Venezia’s best chance fell to Busio, who was alone in front of goal but lifted his shot over the bar.

Two more Venezia goals were wiped out. Lauberbach tapped in after Provedel saved a deflected Kike Perez free kick, but the 29th-minute goal was ruled offside. In the 72nd minute, Adams rounded Provedel and scored. That goal was also ruled out for offside, and VAR upheld the call.

The manner of the win was rare. Inter are the first Serie A team to benefit from two own goals in the same match since Lazio against Benevento on April 18, 2021. Venezia now have three own goals this season. Halhal has scored two of them, against both Inter and Milan.

Chivu admits luck as a rotated side heads into the derby

Chivu did not hide from the performance. He was sharply critical of a slow, low-energy display from a rotated line-up that plays every three days. He said that, if he had been allowed, he would have changed the whole team at halftime. Inter’s official website ran his comments under a headline saying the team were lucky but believed in it strongly.

He nearly did change it. Provedel, Aleksandar Stankovic and Bonny started. At halftime, Akanji, Barella and Calhanoglu came on for Bisseck, Sucic and Stankovic. Esposito replaced Bonny early in the second half.

The table still rewards Inter. The result answers Lazio’s emphatic win in Sassuolo and puts Inter back alongside them at the top. Inter’s tally is their best after nine rounds of the three-points-for-a-win era, according to Sportmediaset. They have won four straight league games. They sit seven points ahead of Milan, who lost to Bologna.

That cushion offers some protection, but the questions about form and squad management remain. Inter have been unbeaten so far while winning ugly in Venice, and the rotation that produced a flat first half will be tested immediately. The derby kicks off at 20:45 CET.