Maicon double keeps Inter on a roll

It took a late second goal from Maicon to do it, but Serie A leaders FC Internazionale Milano won 2-1 at AC Siena to streak nine points clear at the summit, with S.S. Lazio beating US Città di Palermo 1-0 earlier in the day.

Maicon double
José Mourinho's men went into the match having triumphed in their last seven league outings and they began piecing together their eighth when Brazilian right-back Maicon bundled the ball in from a corner after 34 minutes. Siena restored parity a mere ten minutes later as Houssine Kharja headed in a Cristiano Del Grosso cross, but Inter were not to be denied and threatened again when Zlatan Ibrahimović found the crossbar close to the hour mark. It took them until the 83rd minute to carve out a winner, however, and once again it was Maicon who made the difference, chipping the ball over Gianluca Curci after being played in by a Javier Zanetti backheel.

Rocchi winner
Lazio are up to sixth, meanwhile, after Tommaso Rocchi came off the bench to fire the only goal in their match at home against Palermo. The 31-year-old turned in a ball from Mourad Meghni with 66 minutes gone as the capital club recorded their first Serie A success in six games. Federico Balzaretti was sent off for the visitors with 18 minutes to go.