Inter Milan moved one step closer to their first Serie A title in 11 years and usurping defending champions Juventus after a 1-0 victory over Cagliari.
Relegation-threatened Cagliari initially resisted stubbornly at the San Siro, with debutant goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario pulling up several saves to keep the leaders back.
However, a rare goal from former Man United full-back Matteo Darmian with 13 minutes left finally broke the deadlock and sealed their 11th league win on the bounce.
Inter Milan are now 11 points clear of second-placed AC Milan with eight games left.
With a healthy lead atop the table, Antonio Conte rotated for Cagliari’s visit, with Lautaro Martinez and Achraf Hakimi given a rest. Still, Inter’s coherence did not take a hit early on, with them creating plenty of chances.
Christian Eriksen got the best save out of Vicario in the first half, the goalkeeper pinching out an effort from the Dane with one hand.
As the match wore on, Inter began to look more nervous. Conte threw on Martinez and Hakimi, with the latter brilliantly setting up the chance for Darmian to grab the winning goal.
Cagliari remains in 18th place, five points from safety, while Inter requires 14 points from their last eight matches to guarantee the title.