Lukaku's brace came in the first half as Inter made the most of their city rivals' surprising loss at Spezia on Saturday.

Inter, bidding for a first Scudetto since winning the treble under Jose Mourinho in 2010, are now one point clear of AC Milan at the top of the table, with Roma six points further back in third.

The stage is set for a mouthwatering Milan derby at the San Siro next Sunday.

Inter coach Antonio Conte apologised on Saturday for appearing to show the finger to his former club's directors at half-time of the controversial Italian Cup match at Juventus on Tuesday.

At the San Siro, Lukaku opened the scoring on 22 minutes from the penalty spot after Wesley Hoedt fouled Lautaro Martinez.

The Belgium forward then moved level with Cristiano Ronaldo at the top of the Serie A goalscoring charts just before the break, as he hit a loose ball first time on the half-volley for his 16th league goal of the campaign.

The deficit was halved just after the hour mark as Gonzalo Escalante's free-kick was deflected to leave Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic flat-footed.

But Inter's return to the summit was secured in the 64th minute as Lukaku turned the provider for Martinez.

A move which started at the edge of the home box and continued with Lukaku's powerful run from the halfway line ended with Martinez side-footing in his 11th effort of the season.

In Cagliari, Atalanta were frustrated for 90 minutes by the relegation-haunted hosts before the game sprung to life in the dying seconds.

Atalanta looked heavy legged four days after beating Napoli in the Italian Cup semi-finals but their bench made the difference. Muriel, who came on in the 68th minute, beat two defenders on the edge of the box before drilling home the winner in the 90th minute.

"It was a very difficult match from the start, I'm happy to have scored. Winning like that means a lot," said Muriel.

G. Escalante

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