Lautaro Martinez's early header was decisive as Inter Milan clinched a 1-0 victory over Fiorentina on Sunday, with goalkeeper Yann Sommer making a crucial penalty save.

FC Inter's Marcus Thuram (R) vies with Fiorentina's Lucas Martinez Quarta during a Serie A soccer match between Fiorentina and FC Inter in Florence, Italy, Jan. 28, 2024. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)

The Nerazzurri had strung together five consecutive wins and recently claimed their third successive Super Coppa title by defeating Napoli.

Before the match, a minute of silence was observed in memory of Luigi Riva, the Italian national team's top scorer, who passed away recently.

Fiorentina's M'Bala Nzola found the net in the 11th minute, but the goal was disallowed for offside. Moments later, Inter broke the deadlock when Kristjan Asllani's corner found Lautaro, who executed a twisting header.

Inter's Marcus Thuram almost made it through on a solo run but was tripped by the turf. At the other end, Giacomo Bonaventura's strike forced Sommer into a one-handed save.

Marko Arnautovic appeared to have doubled Inter's lead in the 64th minute, but his goal was nullified due to Henrikh Mkhitaryan being offside.

Inter narrowly avoided conceding when Sommer fouled a Fiorentina player in the box in the 77th minute. However, Sommer redeemed himself by saving Nico Gonzalez's penalty.

With a game in hand, Inter Milan now leads the league with 54 points, one point ahead of Juventus.

In other matches, Lazio's winning streak came to a halt with a goalless draw against Napoli. Genoa rallied to defeat Lecce 2-1, Monza edged out Sassuolo 1-0, and Hellas Verona drew 1-1 with Frosinone. 

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