Inter ramp up pressure on Roma

José Mourinho celebrated his 100th game in charge of FC Internazionale Milano with a 2-0 victory against ten-man Juventus which lifts the UEFA Champions League semi-finalists two points clear of AS Roma at the top of Serie A.

Needing a win to maintain their chances of a fourth-place finish, Juventus started brightly at San Siro, Alessandro Del Piero forcing Inter goalkeeper Júlio César into action inside two minutes. Aside from Gianluigi Buffon repelling a stinging Thiago Motta effort, the Derby d'Italia continued to be a balanced affair until eight minutes before half-time, when Mohamed Sissoko was shown a second yellow card for fouling Javier Zanetti.

With the numerical advantage, Inter created, but spurned, several chances after the break, most notably when Diego Milito directed a header wide from two metres after Mario Balotelli nodded a corner into his path. The breakthrough they so craved arrived 15 minutes from time, however, thanks to a piece of individual brilliance from Maicon.

The right-back controlled a ball on the edge of the area, lobbed it over Amauri and found the top corner with a powerful right-footed volley. Samuel Eto'o made sure of the points in added time when he tapped in Sulley Muntari's low shot across goal. Roma will regain top spot with four games to play if they defeat city rivals S.S. Lazio on Sunday.