In the Zone: Inter's engine room

Edin Džeko's opening goal may have set the tone for Inter's 2-0 victory against Milan in their UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg, but it was their industry in the central areas that established their dominance for the majority of the contest.

In our latest FedEx Performance Zone stats dive, we take a look at how the Nerazzurri's midfielders and wing-backs have fuelled their progress to the brink of a Champions League final.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been like a fine wine for Simone Inzaghi's side, improving in performances and the rankings following his 34th birthday in January. The Armenian schemer was hovering well outside the top 100 following the round of 16 but has rapidly climbed through the pack and now sits 15th after their semi-final first leg.

His 90-point haul in that match – from just 62 minutes on the pitch – was more than double any of his previous games, a remarkable statistic even with points multiplied by 2.5 at the semi-final stage. That tally included a goal (37.5 points), two shots on target (ten points), five recovered balls (12.5 points) and a passing accuracy above 90% (22.5 points).

Fellow midfielder Nicolò Barella has risen to a season-high 25th in the rankings after scoring 45 points or more for a third consecutive game in the competition. With no goal in this game – he had struck in their previous two matches – the 26-year-old had to boost his numbers through his all-round display, and two shots off target (five points), five recovered balls (12.5 points) and a passing accuracy above 80% (15 points) did just that.

While that pair and the ever-impressive Hakan Çalhanoğlu, whose assist (22.5 points) helped him add 60 points this week, controlled the middle of the park, wing-backs Federico Dimarco and Denzel Dumfries patrolled the wide areas relentlessly. Attack-minded Dumfries chipped in with three successful tackles (15 points), his defensive prowess giving Dimarco licence to wreak havoc on the other side – not for the first time this season.

The Italian international scooped a season-high 62.5 points thanks in no small part to another assist (22.5 points), clean sheet (22.5 points), ball recovery (2.5 points) and clearance (2.5 points). Indeed, three assists in his last two Champions League appearances have been the catalyst for the marauding wing-back to rise from 179th in the rankings at the start of April to his current perch of 31st.

Only Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior (six) has set up more goals than the five Dimarco has managed in this campaign, and the only midfielder to match the Inter man's tally is Kevin De Bruyne. Given the Manchester City talisman was also on target this week and Madrid's Eduardo Camavinga laid on the assist for their goal in that 1-1 draw, it's fair to say midfielders ruled the roost during the opening round of semi-final match-ups.